Police investigating disappearance of woman, 45, last January charge man with murder as well as four rape charges, 12 assault offences and indecent attack against girl, 14, dating back to 1998
- Susan Waring, 45, went missing from Darwen, Lancashire in January last year
- Alan Edwards, 47, was first arrested last March and re-arrested on Wednesday
- He has been charged with the murder of Ms Waring and 21 other offences
A man has been charged with the murder of a woman who went missing in January last year.
Susan Waring, 45, went missing from Darwen, Lancashire, and police confirmed in March last year her disappearance was a murder investigation.
A Lancashire police spokesman said Alan Edwards, 47, of Blackburn Road in Darwen, had been charged with her murder.
Alan Edwards, 47, has been charged with the murder of Susan Waring, 45, (pictured) who went missing from Darwen, Lancashire in January last year
He was initially arrested last March and released under investigation.
The force said Edwards, who was re-arrested on Wednesday, had also been charged with 12 offences of assault, two wounding offences, an indecent assault against a girl aged under 14, one offence of making threats to kill, four counts of rape and one offence of causing a female aged 13 or over to engage in a penetrative sexual activity.
Ms Waring’s body has never been found and Edwards was due to appear before Preston Magistrates’ Court on Friday May 1
The alleged offences relate to three women and one girl between 1998 and 2019, the force said.
Edwards was due to appear before Preston Magistrates’ Court on Friday May 1.
Ms Waring was initially thought to have last been seen at about 10pm on January 30 last year, leaving an address on Blackburn Road.
But police said the last corroborated sighting of her was at a doctor’s surgery on James Street West on January 16.
Her body has never been found.
She is described as being around 5ft 5in, of small build, with brown eyes and collar-length curly brown hair.
Anyone with information is asked to call 101 quoting incident reference 0359 of April 29.
You can also report online at mipp.police.uk/operation/0401020119E01-PO1 or by calling Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.