Case overview
In August 2014, 14-year-old Alice Gross left her home in west London and never returned. Her body was recovered from the River Brent a month later, wrapped and weighted, and the prime suspect, convicted killer Arnis Zalkalns, was found hanged in nearby woodland before he could be questioned.
The last known movements
Alice Gross was last seen on August 28, 2014, walking along the Grand Union Canal towpath near Hanwell in west London. CCTV footage captured her at approximately 1:00 p.m., headed toward Kew. She had left home that afternoon after lunch with her family, telling them she was going for a walk. She carried her phone, but it later switched off or ran out of battery.
Investigators reviewed hours of surveillance footage and pieced together her route. The towpath was familiar to Alice. She had used it before. The footage showed no signs of distress or urgency. She appeared calm, walking alone.
Her family reported her missing that evening. Within hours, a large-scale search was underway, involving police divers, helicopter units, and volunteers combing the canal paths and surrounding areas. The case became one of the largest missing person investigations in London’s recent history.
The discovery
On September 30, 2014, Alice’s body was found in the River Brent, submerged in water a few hundred meters from where she was last captured on camera. Her body had been concealed inside a bag and weighted down with bricks and logs. The Metropolitan Police confirmed she had been murdered, though the exact cause of death was not immediately disclosed.
Forensic examination later revealed that Alice had been asphyxiated. The manner in which her body was hidden suggested deliberate effort to prevent discovery. The location and condition of the remains indicated that she had been killed shortly after she disappeared.
The suspect
Arnis Zalkalns, a 41-year-old Latvian builder, emerged as the primary suspect within days of Alice’s disappearance. CCTV footage from the same towpath showed Zalkalns cycling in the same direction as Alice, approximately 15 minutes behind her. He was seen again later that afternoon, returning along the same route.
Zalkalns had been living in the UK since 2007. In Latvia, he had been convicted of murdering his wife in 1997, stabbing her to death in front of their young child. He served seven years in prison before being released. British authorities were aware of his criminal history, but he was not subject to monitoring or restrictions upon entering the country.
Police identified Zalkalns through the surveillance footage and sought to question him. He had not reported for work since the day Alice vanished. His phone was turned off, and attempts to locate him were unsuccessful. A nationwide appeal was issued for information on his whereabouts.
The search for Zalkalns
Zalkalns became the subject of an intensive manhunt. Police searched his residence, interviewed family members, and traced his known movements. His bicycle, which appeared in the CCTV footage, was recovered from the canal. Forensic teams examined it for evidence linking him to Alice.
Investigators also found evidence suggesting Zalkalns had been in the area where Alice’s body was later discovered. His mobile phone data placed him near the River Brent in the hours following her disappearance. Witnesses reported seeing a man matching his description acting nervously along the towpath in the days after Alice went missing.
On October 4, 2014, Zalkalns’ body was discovered in woodland near the Boston Manor area of west London, less than a mile from where Alice’s body had been found. He had hanged himself. A post-mortem examination concluded he had been dead for several weeks, likely since early September, shortly after Alice’s murder.
What investigators concluded
The Metropolitan Police conducted a thorough investigation into Zalkalns’ background, movements, and any possible connection to Alice. Detectives confirmed that there was no evidence the two knew each other prior to August 28. The encounter on the towpath appeared to be a chance crossing.
Forensic evidence recovered from Zalkalns’ possessions and the crime scene supported the conclusion that he had killed Alice. Investigators found items belonging to her in locations associated with him. DNA and fiber evidence further linked him to the scene where her body was concealed.
Zalkalns’ suicide meant that he was never formally charged or tried. The investigation was classified as solved by the police, but the absence of a trial left questions about motive and the precise sequence of events unanswered.
The disputed elements
The case generated significant public and media scrutiny, particularly around how Zalkalns was able to live in the UK without oversight despite his violent criminal past. Questions were raised about whether better information sharing between European law enforcement agencies could have prevented the tragedy.
Alice’s family and advocacy groups called for reforms to ensure that individuals with serious violent convictions in other countries would be tracked or flagged upon entering the UK. At the time, European Union regulations allowed free movement, and criminal record checks were not mandatory for all entrants.
There was also debate over the timeline of Zalkalns’ death. Some observers questioned whether he had intended to evade capture or had acted impulsively in the immediate aftermath of the killing. His body was found in an area that had been searched multiple times, raising questions about when and why he chose that location.
The aftermath
In 2015, the Crown Prosecution Service confirmed that had Zalkalns lived, there was sufficient evidence to charge him with Alice’s murder. An inquest into her death recorded a verdict of unlawful killing. The coroner noted the profound loss to her family and the community.
Alice’s parents, Rosalind Hodgkiss and Jose Gross, became advocates for policy changes to improve the monitoring of violent offenders moving across international borders. They worked with lawmakers and victims’ rights organizations to push for greater transparency and accountability in record-sharing systems.
The case also prompted internal reviews within the Metropolitan Police regarding resource allocation for missing person investigations and the coordination of forensic and intelligence efforts in cases involving foreign nationals with criminal histories.
Where to look next
- Documentary: “Alice Gross: The Untold Story” (Investigation Discovery)
- Documentary: “Catching a Killer” (Channel 5)
- Book: “The Alice Gross Case: A Family’s Fight for Justice” by Rosalind Hodgkiss and Jose Gross
