A 29-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of the murder of 16-year-old Louise Smith.
The teenager, from the Leigh Park area, was reported missing on VE Day earlier this month, with her body discovered in Havant Thicket, a dense woodland, on Thursday.
The 16-year-old was described by family friends as a ‘charming young girl who had her whole life ahead of her’.
Devastated members of the community said Louise was ‘just your typical teenager’ as they laid flowers at a woodland site, twenty five bouquets of flowers have now been laid at the entrance.
Eyewitnesses say that Louise was last seen at a skatepark around two miles from her home on May 8, the 75th anniversary of VE Day.
Police have confirmed a body found in Hampshire woodland was that of 16-year-old Louise Smith
Family friend Jackie Meredith had laid a bouquet and described Louise as ‘girly’ and urged police to get to the bottom of the investigation.
Mrs Meredith said: ‘She was a really lovely young girl and her family were lovely too.
‘She was just your typical teenager, she was a bubbly and funny girl. You could chat to her easily, she was a charming young girl and was always friendly to people.
‘She was very popular and had lots of friends, she had a large circle of them. She was a bit girly like teenage girls are, I really can’t express how lovely she was.
‘What has happened is disgusting, it’s just so sad. I really hope the police find out what happened to her, whatever it was.
‘We need to know, we all need to know as we live here. Her parents of course need to know, but we as a community need to know.
A poster released by Hampshire Police on Sunday is calling for help from the public, as an official murder investiagtion was launched into the death of teenager Louise Smith
‘It is all such a shame… She had her whole life ahead of her.
I just hope the police find out what has happened and who done it.’
Mandy Fernando has known the 16-year-old since she was a little girl.
She laid flowers at the entrance to Havant Thicket in Hampshire where police discovered a body believed to be Louise’s.
Mandy described Louise as a lovely girl with a heart of gold. ‘The community is devastated, sad, shocked,’ Mandy said. ‘I can’t speak for everybody but when anyone hears of a young person, whoever it may be, it’s very sad.’
Louise’s neighbour John Singleton said he saw the girl on the day she went missing.
‘She just went out walking, I didn’t know where she was going. It’s very sad, the outcome is the saddest, for a while we had some hope.’
Police previously issued a CCTV image showing Louise leaving a Tesco store on the evening before she disappeared.
The teenager’s last reported sighting was around midday on May 8 on Somborne Drive
An eyewitness said she had gone to the supermarket twice, once with another person earlier in the afternoon and then on her own in the evening.
He said: ‘I saw Louise enter Tesco in the afternoon and then I saw her later in the day on her own buying a bag of ice.’
Detective Chief Superintendent Scott MacKechnie said a ‘dedicated’ team of 100 officers are ‘really focused on identifying who is responsible’.
The police officer urged the public to help them ‘piece together the last moments of Louise’s life’ by coming forward with CCTV or sightings in Havant, Hants.
DCS MacKechnie said a post-mortem has been carried out but would not reveal the cause of Louise’s death or when she died.
He did however reveal that Louise had been staying in apartment building Ringwood House, Havant.
He asked people from Leigh Park in Havant to come forward with CCTV or footage.
‘This is a tragedy, and our thoughts remain with the family and friends of Louise at this incredibly difficult time.
‘This is now a murder investigation and our focus is to identify who is responsible. To do this it is crucial that we capture as much information as possible regarding the moments leading up to her death.
‘We know that news of her murder will leave the community shocked and upset, but we are turning to you for your help, because information you have could be key in this investigation.
‘Two weeks have passed since Louise was first reported missing. I am asking residents in Leigh Park to cast their minds back to Louise’s disappearance a fortnight ago and provide any information to us that will help trace her movements from where she was last seen to the site at which her body was discovered.
‘We know she entered Tesco Metro on Greywell Road shortly before 7.30pm on Thursday May 7, but we can’t be certain where she went from here.
‘She also was reportedly seen at midday the following day – VE Day – in Somborne Drive.
‘This was a historic day for the country, and many of you may have been celebrating out on your front gardens. Did you see her, or someone matching her description? Was she alone, or with someone?
‘Perhaps you were out walking or running in Havant Thicket on this day, as part of your daily exercise. Did you see anything that could help our investigation, or anyone acting suspiciously?
‘We are also keen to trace her movements from 7.30pm on May 7 onwards. At that time she was described as wearing black jeans, a black and white striped T-shirt, black trainers and a black coat with a fur hood, as seen in the CCTV image.
‘Our appeals for any video footage from Leigh Park residents – whether this be CCTV, dash cam, or doorbell camera footage – from Thursday May 7 and Friday May 8 still stand, as we are keen to capture as much video material as possible.
‘If you live in Leigh Park and have footage from these two days, please do not delete it and save it if this is possible to do. Alternatively, contact us and we can arrange for an officer to collect it.’