Alice Gross was a 14-year-old schoolgirl who lived in Hanwell, West London. On 28 August 2014 she left her family home and did not return, prompting a missing-person search that grew into one of the Metropolitan Police's largest operations since the July 2005 London bombings, involving hundreds of officers. Her disappearance drew national attention over the following weeks.
On 30 September 2014, after five weeks of searching, Alice's body was recovered from the River Brent, where it had been concealed beneath a covering of logs and other material. A murder investigation was formally opened the following day. A post-mortem examination attributed her death to asphyxiation.
Attention centred on Arnis Zalkalns, a 41-year-old builder originally from Latvia who lived nearby and had been reported missing from Ealing on 3 September 2014, days after Alice vanished. On 6 October 2014 a body discovered in woodland at Boston Manor Park was identified as Zalkalns; he had died by hanging. It later emerged that he had been convicted in Latvia in 1998 of murdering his wife, and that this history had not been identified by United Kingdom authorities when he entered the country or when he was arrested in 2009 in connection with an allegation of sexual assault.
Because Zalkalns died before he could be detained, he was never charged with or tried for Alice's killing, and no criminal court ever ruled on his responsibility. In January 2015 the Metropolitan Police stated that the available evidence pointed firmly to him and that he would have been charged had he lived.
An inquest, held under Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights at the family's request, examined both how Alice died and what the authorities knew or should have known about her suspected killer. On 4 July 2016 a jury at the Royal Courts of Justice concluded that Alice had been unlawfully killed, finding that her injuries were consistent with compression asphyxia and that she had been the victim of a sexually motivated attack. The coroner, Dr Fiona Wilcox, directed that the evidence did not support any conclusion that the Home Office or police had caused or contributed to Alice's death, while raising wider concerns about checks on foreign nationals with criminal records.
Alice's family, who supported freedom of movement, asked publicly that her death not be used to advance an anti-immigration agenda and instead called for proportionate rules governing the movement of serious offenders.
Alice, aged 14, disappears after leaving her family home in Hanwell, West London.
2014-09-03
Arnis Zalkalns, a local builder later identified as the prime suspect, is reported missing from nearby Ealing.
2014-09-30
Alice's body is recovered from the River Brent, concealed under logs, five weeks after she vanished, following one of the Metropolitan Police's largest searches.
2014-10-01
A murder investigation is formally launched.
2014-10-06
A body found in woodland at Boston Manor Park is confirmed as Zalkalns; he had died by hanging.
2015-01-28
The Metropolitan Police state that all evidence points firmly to Zalkalns and that he would have been charged had he lived.
2016-07-04
An inquest jury at the Royal Courts of Justice concludes Alice was unlawfully killed in a sexually motivated attack; the coroner finds authorities did not cause or contribute to her death.
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Titles and descriptions are the creators’ own and may not reflect current legal status; see the dossier above for sourced case facts.
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Truly Criminal / 13 min
A Never Ending Nightmare: The Murder Of Alice Gross
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Alice Gross
VICTIM
A 14-year-old schoolgirl from Hanwell, West London. She disappeared on 28 August 2014 and her body was recovered from the River Brent on 30 September 2014. A 2016 inquest jury concluded she was unlawfully killed, with injuries consistent with compression asphyxia, in a sexually motivated attack.
Arnis Zalkalns
CONVICTED
Prime suspect in Alice's killing. He was never charged with or convicted of her death: reported missing on 3 September 2014, he was found dead by hanging in Boston Manor Park on 6 October 2014 before he could be arrested. The 2016 inquest jury concluded Alice was unlawfully killed and identified him as responsible, but an inquest cannot convict. His only murder conviction was a separate 1998 case in Latvia for killing his wife; the 'convicted' role here refers to that prior offence, not to Alice's death.
Roles reflect public records and court outcomes at the time of writing — supporting citations are on file under Sources.
Alice Gross, a 14-year-old from Hanwell in West London, disappeared in August 2014 and was found dead weeks later in the River Brent; a 2016 inquest concluded she was unlawfully killed in a sexually motivated attack by a local suspect who died before he could be charged.
Where did the killing happen?
Hanwell, West London (River Brent).
Who was convicted?
Arnis Zalkalns (Prime suspect in Alice's killing. He was never charged with or convicted of her death: reported missing on 3 September 2014, he was found dead by hanging in Boston Manor Park on 6 October 2014 before he could be arrested. The 2016 inquest jury concluded Alice was unlawfully killed and identified him as responsible, but an inquest cannot convict. His only murder conviction was a separate 1998 case in Latvia for killing his wife; the 'convicted' role here refers to that prior offence, not to Alice's death.).
