Jayden Parkinson Died From 'Pressure To The Neck', Police Confirm

Jayden Parkinson Died From 'Pressure To The Neck'
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UNSPECIFIED - UNDATED: In this undated handout photo provided by the British Police, Jayden Parkinson, 17, poses for the camera. Jayden was last seen at Didcot railway station, Oxford on Tuesday December 3, 2013. Ben Blakeley, 22, has appeared in court charged with her murder. (Photo by British Police via Getty Images)
Handout via Getty Images

Teenager Jayden Parkinson, whose body was found in a freshly-disturbed grave, died from "pressure to the neck", police have revealed.

The 17-year-old was discovered in a recently-disturbed grave in the Great Western Cemetery next to All Saints Church in Didcot, Oxfordshire, in December.

An initial post-mortem examination proved inconclusive, leading to toxicology tests being carried out, Thames Valley Police said.

A police spokesman said: "Those results have now been received and Thames Valley Police can confirm that the cause of death is consistent with pressure to the neck.

"Jayden's family has been informed and specially-trained family liaison officers continue to support the family."

Jayden, from Oxford, was last seen leaving Didcot railway station on December 3. Police received "significant and highly relevant information" which led them to focus on the graveyard.

The discovery of her body followed an intensive search, involving more than 100 officers, backed up by specialists from the National Crime Agency.

Jayden's ex-boyfriend Ben Blakeley, 22, has been charged with murdering her and perverting the course of justice.

Blakeley, of Christchurch Road in Reading, Berkshire, is due to appear at Oxford Crown Court for a plea hearing on March 17.

A 17-year-old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, is charged with perverting the course of justice between December 3 and December 10 by allegedly helping to dispose of Jayden's body and other evidence.

A third person, a 48-year-old woman, from Didcot, Oxfordshire, was arrested last month, also on suspicion of perverting the course of justice, and she was later freed on police bail to March 14.

Last month mourners paid their respects at Jayden's funeral service at St Martin's Church in Cheriton, close to her former home town of Folkestone, Kent.