Kayleigh Haywood 'died from head and facial injuries'

Results of initial post mortem revealed at the opening of an inquest into teenager's death

Kayleigh Haywood
(Image credit: Leicestershire Police)

Kayleigh Haywood, the schoolgirl who was found dead after going missing earlier this month, died from head and facial injuries, an inquest has heard.

The 15-year-old from Measham in Leicestershire was last seen by her family on the evening of Friday November 13. Her body was discovered last week in a field near a lake in the town of Ibstock.

The results of an initial post mortem examination were revealed at the opening of an inquest into her death. The hearing was told that her body had to be identified by dental records.

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Stephen Beadman, a 28-year-old man from Ibstock, has been charged with her rape and murder.

Another man, 27-year old Luke Harlow, has been charged with grooming and two counts of sexual activity with a child. Both men are due to appear at Leicester Crown Court on 18 December.

The inquiry has now been adjourned until February.

Man of 28 charged with rape and murder of Kayleigh Hayward

20 November

A man has been charged with the rape and murder of Kayleigh Hayward, the 15-year-old from Measham in Leicestershire who went missing last Friday.

Stephen Beadman, 28, is from Ibstock, the town where the teenager was last seen at 6pm on Friday after asking her parents' permission to stay with a friend. A body found near a lake in Ibstock on Wednesday night is believed to be hers.

A second man, 27-year-old Luke Harlow of Ibstock, has been charged with grooming and two counts of sexual activity with a child. The two men live in the same street, George Avenue, says the BBC.

The body has not yet been formally identified but the girl's family have been told to expect the worst and the murder charge makes it clear that police are sure it is Hayward. A post-mortem is planned.

The Daily Mail says both men appeared before Leicestershire Magistrates' Court this morning, speaking only to confirm their names and addresses. The paper says Beadman is a landscape gardener.

Hayward's family said: "We are heartbroken, grief stricken and as a family utterly devastated. We cannot even begin to thank the local communities and wider public for their messages of support which have helped us through the last week.

"We are also grateful for the publicity the media have given to Kayleigh's disappearance and the desperate search to find her."

The 15-year-old was dropped off outside Ibstock Community College last Friday at 6pm after being driven the five miles from Measham to spend the weekend with a friend, something she did frequently.

Kayleigh Haywood: police find body in hunt for missing teen

19 November

Police hunting for the missing teenager Kayleigh Haywood have found a body in a field in Ibstock, Leicestershire. Two men aged 27 and 28 have been arrested and are being questioned on suspicion of murder.

Formal identification has not taken place but the 15-year-old's family have been told of the discovery.

The news comes hours after police released a statement from the girl's parents, says Sky News. The statement said: "It is breaking our hearts and we are shedding tear after tear. We love Kayleigh so much and without her our family is incomplete. A big part of our lives has gone.

"Her brothers and sisters are constantly asking for her and if anyone knows anything we beg you to come forward."

Chief Superintendent David Sandall said: "We have discovered a body in a field. While formal identification has yet to take place, Kayleigh's family are aware of the discovery and enquiries are continuing."

Kayleigh was last seen on Friday at 6pm after she was dropped off outside Ibstock Community College, though she made contact with her parents the next morning.

One unnamed friend told the Daily Mail that Kayleigh might have met up with a 27-year-old man she had been messaging on Facebook.

Kayleigh's mobile phone was found by a member of the public in Ibstock while items of her clothing were discovered both in Ibstock and in Diseworth, which is ten miles away. This led police to believe that the worst had happened.

The body was found at around 10pm last night, after the two men had been re-arrested on suspicion of murder. They were initially arrested on suspicion of kidnapping the 15-year-old.

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