Detectives have said that Alice Gross, who went missing eight days ago, was suffering from anorexia. Yesterday police searched the Grand Union Canal where Alice, 14, was last seen on CCTV and said they were increasingly concerned about her health in case she had collapsed.
Speaking on BBC London 94.9 Alice’s mother, Rosalind Hodgkiss, 50, said: “Alice had been diagnosed with anorexia and was going through a tough time in a number of ways and we are wondering whether her disappearance had anything to do with that. That is the main reason why we have had such concerns for her wellbeing, and her health in particular.”
Police also revealed they had found a rucksack containing some of Alice’s possessions near the canal towpath where she was last seen. Detective Inspector Julie Willets, of the Metropolitan Police, said Alice was carrying a “purple rucksack that was quite recognisable” and appealed for anyone who might have seen it to come forward.
Alice left her home in Hanwell, West London, at 1pm on August 28. She told her parents she would return that evening, but failed to return for dinner.
CCTV footage shows Alice, wearing a dark grey t-shirt and jeans, walking along the Grand Union Canal towards Kew at 2.23pm and later in the direction of her home in Hanwell at 3.45pm.