Murder arrests over missing UK girls

The two 10-year-olds have not been seen for 12 days

SOHAM, England -- Two people are being questioned on suspicion of the murder of missing UK schoolgirls Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman.

It is the first time police have admitted they fear the 10-year-old girls, who have been missing for 13 days, are now dead.

Cambridgeshire Police said a 28-year-old man had been arrested on suspicion of abduction and murder, and a 25-year-old woman had been arrested on suspicion of murder.

Detective Chief Inspector Andy Hebb told a news conference in Soham that items of major importance had been recovered during a search of Soham College.

As the couple were being questioned on Saturday, police continued the search for the girls' bodies.

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Police are also conducting a search at the home of the male suspect's parents, in the nearby village of Littleport.

The suspects, who have not been identified by police, and are being held at separate police stations.

The families of the missing girls were the first to be told of the arrests, which happened at 4 a.m. (0300 GMT), police said.

On Friday, police spent almost seven hours questioning school caretaker Ian Huntley, 28, and his girlfriend Maxine Carr, 25, about the girls' disappearance.

Cambridgeshire Police said the pair had agreed to be questioned and had been treated as "significant witnesses."

The couple's home is being searched using what police describe as highly-sensitive equipment.

The house in Soham was one of the last places the 10-year-olds were seen.

The search of the college and school included the very room, the college hall, where hours earlier the parents of Jessica and Holly publicly begged their abductor to give the girls back.

The case of the missing girls has shocked Britain. Several newspapers have offered rewards totalling more than £1 million ($1.5 million) for any information leading to their safe return. (Full story)

More than 420 police officers from 21 police forces from around Britain are involved in the search.

After learning of Saturday's news, Soham's Methodist minister, Alan Ashton, spoke on behalf of the community.

He told the UK Press Association: "The grief is going to be profound and deep. It is the worst possible news. It's going to be a time of immense grief.

"It's with profound shock that the news has been announced this morning. The town is going to be immersed in grief as it absorbs this terrible news."

People had already started arriving at his church to offer prayers for the two families, he said.

"Our heartfelt sympathies go out to the two families."