Britain:Ipswich police now investigating the murders of five women were "looking at a number of interesting people" last night after confirming that the last body discovered in woodland on Tuesday was that of Annette Nicholls.
Like at least two of the other victims, the body of Ms Nicholls (29) body was found naked, but she was still wearing jewellery. A post-mortem examination failed to establish a clear cause of her death and further tests were being carried out.
Police officially linked the murders of all five women for the first time yesterday and confirmed that none had been subject to a violent sexual assault or suffered "significant" trauma injuries. All five victims worked as prostitutes in the town's red light district.
As the father of the first of the five to disappear made a television appeal to the public to help find his daughter's killer, the man heading the murder hunt, Det Chief Supt Stewart Gull, claimed the police had already had "a significant response" and were "making good progress".
Mr Gull said his officers had a number of possible suspects. "We are looking at a number of interesting people, pursuing a number of interesting lines of inquiry. We have got a range of individuals who have been suggested to us. Some are local but some are not."
Mr Gull added that some of these people commanding police attention were "not punters". He also said it was the police view that women other than prostitutes were not at risk from the killer.
Five separate inquiry teams have been set up to investigate each murder, said Mr Gull.
"Each is staffed with specialist staff and headed by a fully-trained senior detective. All these resources are committed solely to catching those responsible for the murder of these five vulnerable women."
He said more than 250 police officers were now working on the inquiry, with assistance coming from 26 police forces around the country. Police had also received 1,800 calls in the previous 24 hours, on top of the 5,500 already received.
Mr Gull described the public response as fantastic while appealing for fresh information from anyone who might have seen Ms Nicholls between December 5th and December 12th, when her body was found.
Meanwhile the father and mother of Tania Nicol, whose body was found in a brook at Hintlesham, described their daughter as loving and sensitive.
Her father, Jim Duell, said "unfortunately drugs took her away into her own secret world, a world that neither of us were aware of".
The nervousness in Ipswich was laid bare yesterday when another woman was briefly reported missing; she was later reported safe.
Additional reporting: Guardian service.