Three men arrested in north west London in connection with Little Venice murder

Three men have been arrested in connection with the murder of a woman whose body was recovered from a suitcase found in the Grand Union Canal in Little Venice.

The trio were held at separate addresses in north west London, following the grim discovery in the canal near Delamere Terrace, on Sunday afternoon.

The arrests were made yesterday but for operational reasons police have only disclosed the details this evening.

The dead woman has not been formally identified but police are confident they know who she is and are in the process of tracing her next of kin.

A post mortem to ascertain her cause of death has proved inconclusive and further tests will be carried out.

Detective Chief Inspector Simon Ashwin, who is leading the murder hunt, is urging anyone who may have seen something suspicious around the canal to come forward.

He said: “I would like to ask for the help of all those people who use or live on the Grand Union Canal.

“We now believe that the body, placed in a black suitcase, was placed in the Grand Union Canal at some point in the last two weeks.

“Whilst the body was recovered near to Little Venice it is highly likely that she entered the water further along the canal.

“Did you see or hear anything suspicious or see a black suitcase in the canal?”

Anyone with information is asked to call the incident room on 020 8785 8244 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.