Louise Smith: Man charged with murder of 16-year-old girl who disappeared on VE Day
Shane Lee Mays, 29, is charged with murder and will appear at Portsmouth Magistrates' Court on Friday.
Thursday 28 May 2020 22:54, UK
A man has been charged with the murder of a 16-year-old girl whose body was found in woodland after she disappeared on VE Day.
Louise Smith was last seen alive on 8 May in the Leigh Park area of Havant, Hampshire, where she visited a Tesco Metro.
Her body was found in woodland at Havant Thicket on 21 May.
Shane Lee Mays, 29, from Havant, has been charged with murder and will appear at Portsmouth Magistrates' Court on Friday.
A 29-year-old woman who was arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender in connection with the investigation has been released on bail.
The cause of Louise's death has not been revealed.
Mandy Ferdinando, who had known Louise since she was a young girl, described her as "a lovely girl with a heart of gold".
She added: "The community is devastated, sad, shocked. I can't speak for everybody but when anyone hears of a young person, whoever it may be, it's very sad."