Detectives investigating murder of Rotherham mum seek man who wished victim ‘merry Christmas’ hours before last sighting

Det Chief Insp Mark Oughton said the naked body of Alena Grlakova  was ‘well concealed’ when it was found in a dried stream bed behind the Fitzwilliam Arms pub, Parkgate, Rotherham, on Monday.

The 38-year-old, originally from Slovakia, had last been seen at the pub on Boxing Day 2018 and Det Chief Insp Mark Oughton said he believed she died around that location.

Det Chief Oughton said: “December 26 was Boxing Day. It's an important day for people when they spend time with their families and what I am wanting people to do is cast their minds back.

“Were you in the Parkgate area? Were you in the Fitzwilliam Arms Hotel? Were you around Parkgate Roundabout at around 10.30pm? And did you see Alena?”

DCI Oughton said Alena was wearing black flip flops, a black top with white writing on the front, she had got black bottoms, which had got stripes down the side and some form of hair extension.

He added: “We do know that earlier on in the evening Alena was in the Traveller’s Inn public house at Parkgate at around 7pm. She was with a male, who we have identified and he has been eliminated from our enquiries.

“What we do know is after leaving the pub, Alena walked towards Scrooby Lane with that male and at that point there was another male walking the other way.

“Were you that male? That male has said to Alena and the other male ‘merry Christmas’ – was that you? Where did you go? Were you with Alena and where did Alena go next?”

DCI Oughton said the man was ‘not a suspect’ but that police wanted to speak to him.

The detective would not reveal how the body had been concealed but added he believed it had been there since ‘late December’.

A post-mortem had failed to find a cause of death and DCI Oughton said further tests would be carried out.

A 45-year-old man remained in custody on suspicion of Alena’s murder.

Anyone with information should call 101, quoting incident number 453 of April 8, call the incident room directly on 01709 443540 or call Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.