A 40-year-old man arrested following the discovery of body parts in a river is being questioned on suspicion of murdering three women, police in England have said.
The remains were found in the River Aire, in Shipley, West Yorkshire, at about 2pm yesterday.
West Yorkshire Police said the man had been arrested on suspicion of murdering Bradford women Suzanne Blamires, 36, Shelley Armitage, 31, and Susan Rushworth, 43.
Ms Blamires, 36, has not been seen since Friday, Ms Armitage has been missing since Monday 26 April, and Ms Rushworth was last seen near her home on 22 June last year.
Today, Assistant Chief Constable Jawaid Akhtar said police had been granted extra time to question the man.
He said the body parts appeared to be the remains of one woman who had not yet been identified.
At a news conference, Mr Akhtar said: 'It is a very thorough and painstaking inquiry into three missing women, all of them sex workers, with all the necessary resources and expertise devoted to it.'
He said the families of the three women were all being supported by police family liaison officers.
West Yorkshire Police launched a poster appeal earlier this month to try to trace Ms Armitage.
Detectives at the time described Ms Armitage as ‘a much-loved daughter and sister’ and said her family were growing increasingly concerned for her welfare.
Ms Rushworth - known as Sue or Susie - was last seen at midday on 22 June last year, near to her flat on Oak Villas, in the Manningham area.
Police appealing for information at the time said the 43-year-old, who suffered from epilepsy, had never been missing before and had been getting help for her heroin addiction when she disappeared.
The remains were found in the water just a few yards from where a busy dual carriageway crosses the Aire.
Police divers were at the scene yesterday but left the area today.
A number of officers including white-suited forensic teams were still at the scene, behind a car showroom about five miles from Bradford's red light area.
