Police arrest ex-boyfriend, 32, in Estonia over murder of French film producer found in a shallow grave in Kew
- Laureline Garcia-Bertaux was found buried in the garden of her London home
- Scotland Yard today confirmed a 32-year-old man had been arrested in Tallinn
- The man is being held in Estonia awaiting extradition proceedings, police said
A man has been arrested in Estonia over the murder of a French film producer found dead in a shallow grave in Kew.
The body of 34-year-old Laureline Garcia-Bertaux was found buried in the west London suburb after she was reported missing from work on March 5.
A post-mortem examination found she died from injuries ‘consistent with compression of the neck’.
Today, the Met Police announced that a 32-year-old ex-boyfriend had been arrested in Tallinn, the Estonian capital.
Laureline Garcia-Bertaux, 34, was found buried in the garden of her home in Kew on March 4
Frédérique Bertaux (left) updated her Facebook profile picture in the early hours of Saturday to display a photograph of her with her murdered daughter Laureline Garcia-Bertaux (right)
A Scotland Yard spokesman said: ‘Met homicide detectives have been working with Eurojust in the Hague and police colleagues in Europol to trace and detain the man sought in connection with the investigation.
‘The 32-year-old man was detained at an address in Tallinn, Estonia and is being held in an Estonian Police Station prior to extradition proceedings commencing.
‘A murder investigation led by Detectives from the Met’s Homicide and Major Crime Command continues apace.’
Miss Garcia-Bertaux was reported missing after she failed to turn up for work at a PR agency on Tuesday, March 5.
Her body was found by police late on Wednesday in the back garden of her £400,000 ground-floor flat on a tree-lined road in the wealthy suburb of Kew, south-west London.
The 34-year-old’s mother Frédérique Bertaux updated her Facebook profile picture in the early hours of Saturday to display a photograph of her with her daughter.
After moving to Britain in 2009, Miss Garcia-Bertaux graduated from Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design and went onto help produce films starring Dame Joan Collins and Sheridan Smith. She hoped to become a director and screenwriter and also ran a lifestyle blog.
Film producer Laureline Garcia-Bertaux (pictured), 34, was found buried in the garden of her house on a tree-lined street in the wealthy suburb of Kew in south-west London
Police go through the contents of rubbish bins as they investigate the 34-year-old’s death
Dame Joan Collins, who worked with her on Gerry, paid tribute, saying: ‘I am shocked by the horrifying news of the murder of Laureline. She was passionate about film and was instrumental in bringing together my latest short film.’
Jonathan Hughes, chief executive of public relations company Golin where she had worked since January, said: ‘On behalf of everyone at Golin I want to express our deepest sympathies to Laureline’s family and friends.
‘We are all still very shocked by this senseless and tragic news and we continue to do everything we can to support her family, the police and our team as the investigation evolves.
‘Laureline was a wonderfully creative, caring and charismatic woman, full of energy and joie de vivre. That is the way she will always remembered by me and every one of her colleagues.’
Laureline Garcia-Bertaux, a 34-year-old PR executive assistant from Richmond on Thames, was reported missing after she failed to turn up to work on Monday
Police outside the house where Miss Garcia-Bertaux’s body was found last week
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