An 18-year-old man was arrested overnight on suspicion of murdering two sisters nearly a month after they were found stabbed to death in a London park.
Bibaa Henry, 46, and Nicole Smallman, 27, were killed in a frenzied knife attack at Fryent Park in Wembley, North West London, in the early hours of June 6.
They had spent the evening celebrating Ms Henry’s birthday, but police were called to the park the next day at about 1pm to reports of two women found unresponsive.
Detectives and paramedics attended the scene but Ms Henry, who lived in Brent, and Ms Smallman, from Harrow, were both pronounced dead at the scene.
Overnight, Scotland Yard arrested the teenager at a home in South London on suspicion of both murders, and he was taken into custody where he remains today.
Bibaa Henry (left) and Nicole Smallman (right) were murdered in Wembley, North West London
Police visited the family in person today to tell them about the arrest, which follows officers recovering more than 1,000 exhibits and going to hundreds of homes.
The women were in a group of people who gathered in the park from 7.40pm on June 5 to celebrate the birthday, with people leaving gradually during the evening.
By about 0.30am on June 6, only the sisters remained, and they are last thought to have had contact with their family and friends at 1.05am.
Police said they were happily taking selfies, listening to music and dancing with fairy lights until at least 1.13am, but calls to them at about 2.30am went unanswered.
Both sisters were then reported as missing to police late on June 6, before they were both found on Sunday. A post-mortem gave the cause of death as stab wounds.
Police said they were happily taking selfies, listening to music and dancing with fairy lights (pictured) until at least 1.13am on June 6, but calls to them at about 2.30am went unanswered
Detective Chief Inspector Simon Harding said: ‘This investigation into the awful death of two sisters is of course a priority for the Metropolitan Police Service and my officers have been working around the clock to identify the person responsible.
‘Given the significance of this development, we visited the family in person today to inform them of the arrest. Our thoughts remain with them at this very difficult time.
‘A team of forensic officers have been a constant presence at the park over the last few weeks carrying out meticulous fingertip searches at what is a vast and complex crime scene.
‘Whilst that work has now concluded, smaller searches in outer areas of the park will continue. To date officers have recovered more than 1,000 exhibits – including property belonging to both Nicole and Bibaa, collected hours of CCTV and visited hundreds of homes and businesses.
‘And those enquiries remain ongoing. I would continue to appeal to the public to come forward with any information they feel may be relevant to our investigation.’
Forensics officers investigate at Fryent Park in Wembley, North West London, on June 9
It comes after two Scotland Yard officers were arrested for allegedly taking ‘sickening’ photographs of the bodies of the two murdered sisters.
The grieving family were said to have been ‘extremely distressed’ after it emerged that ‘non-official and inappropriate photographs’ were taken at the murder scene.
It is alleged that two officers deployed to guard the murder scene took photographs of their bodies and sent the images to a group of people, including members of the public.
Both were arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office last Monday and the matter was passed to the Independent Office of Police Conduct (IOPC) to investigate.
The referral last Friday was made on the same day that the women’s family released a haunting last image of the sisters with fairy lights as they danced together in the park.
A police officer stands next to flowers at an entrance to Fryent Park in Wembley on June 8
The selfies, taken on a tripod barely an hour before the double murder, were recovered from one of their mobile phones after their bodies were found.
The watchdog is also investigating whether officers properly carried out a search after the women were reported missing due to the length of time it took to discover their bodies.
The independent investigation will consider whether any criminal charges should be brought.
Both officers, who are based on the North East Command, have been suspended from duty and are currently on police bail.
The victims’ mother Wilhelmina Smallman was the first female BAME archdeacon in the Anglican church.
Last month Mrs Smallman released a heartbreaking tribute to her elder daughter Ms Henry, a senior social worker and Ms Smallman, a freelance photographer.
She said: ‘The pain we feel as a family is so deep no words can express how we are feeling.’