Human skull and bones found in serial killer Levi Bellfield's 'perfect hunting ground' after wildfire discovery

Human skull and bones found in serial killer Levi Bellfield's 'perfect hunting ground' after wildfire discovery EXCLUSIVE: Chris Clark, a former police intelligence officer and crime author, says Levi Bellfield could have hidden his victim's body in his back garden - as it was just minutes from several of his former homes The Met Police is being urged to look at Levi Bellfield, after wildfires uncovered a woman’s skull in the serial killer's 'perfect hunting ground'. A retired intelligence officer fears the gruesome discovery at Bedfont Lakes Country Park could be linked to Milly Dowler’s notorious killer. Former detective Chris Clark is convinced the discovery "fits the modus operandi" of Bellfield and fears there could be even more bodies hidden in the area. He believes if police carry on searching they would find a ‘cluster’ of Bellfield’s victims in woods in that area, and has contacted the Met Police about his suspicions. “I feel very strongly it is a cluster sight, an area which serial killers use so they remember where their victims are buried. Serial killers operate in areas they are familiar with. I think the woods is a potential hotspot for Levi Bellfield’s unresolved victims," Mr Clark told the Mirror. Forensics are still searching ‘The Pit’, opposite Padstow Walk in Feltham, near Heathrow Airport in London, after a dad out cycling with his four children last month spotted the skull. He alerted police, leading to a huge search which then uncovered more remains and prompted a murder inquiry. A large area has now been taped off with police tents erected and markers placed on land left scorched by the summer fires. Police say DNA tests are among those currently being carried out to find out the identity of the female victim thought to be aged 25 to 45. Outside partners are also involved to try and identify the murder victim and find out how old the bones are. Detective Chief Inspector Wayne Jolley, who is leading the investigation, said: “We have launched a murder investigation following the discovery of these remains and are working to establish the full circumstances of what happened while keeping an open mind." When approached by the Mirror, a spokesperson for the Met Police said: “As far as we are aware any link with Levi Bellfield is purely speculative at this stage.” They said officers had been liaising with external agencies who are believed to be examining the bones and DNA inquiries remain ongoing. Bellfield, now 58, is currently serving a whole life sentence for the murders of 13-year-old Milly Dowler, 19-year-old Marsha McDonnell, and 22-year-old Amelie Delagrange. He also tried to kill 18-year-old Kate Sheedy, who survived. A jury failed to reach verdicts on charges relating to attacks on two other women. On trial in 2008 for bludgeoning Miss McDonnell and Miss Delagrange to death, Bellfield told the jury he had spent his entire life in the Hounslow, Hanworth and Feltham areas of south-west London. The skull found this month in Feltham, was hidden just half a mile away from Bellfield’s former family’s home and a three-minute drive by car. He went to school and grew up less than four miles away and has lived in at least six properties within a 10 to 15 minutes drive from the lakes. The remains had been buried next to the same lakes searched in 2009 by police divers looking for Bellfield's red Daewoo Nexia used to transport Milly's body. The serial killer snatched 13-year-old Milly off the street "in the blink of an eye" in 2002. Her body was found six months later in woods at Yateley Heath in Hampshire. An ex-girlfriend told his trial she had been to those woods with him five or six times when he lived in Walton-on-Thames in Surrey. At the time of Bellfield’s conviction for Milly’s murder in June 2011, detectives said they believed he may have been responsible for 20 unsolved attacks on women. It is believed he has since confessed to five others. Last week he was supposed to be giving his DNA after confessing to the double murder of Dr Lin Russell and her daughter Megan, six, which Michael Stone is serving time for. But he demanded to be returned to his cell after his solicitor was not allowed in. It has been suggested his killing spree may have begun as early as 1980 when he was just 12 years old. His school pal, Patsy Morris, 14, was found strangled on Hounslow Heath during her lunch break. No one has ever been convicted of her murder. He fathered 11 children by five different women and spent his spare time stalking the streets, attacking lone women near bus stops. Retired police officer Mr Clarke said: “Levi Bellfield has deep, lifelong roots in the Feltham and wider Hounslow area of southwest London. “Bellfield grew up locally on a council estate in southwest London after being born nearby in Isleworth. He attended local schools, including Feltham Comprehensive. During his trials, Bellfield noted that his life, social circles, and wheel-clamping businesses were centered tightly around Feltham, Hanworth, and Hounslow. “His mother and other family members continued to reside in the Feltham area long after his conviction.” Mr Clark believes Bellfield could be behind the murder of three other missing women. Bellfield has previously ‘admitted’ killing Elizabeth Chau, a 19-year-old student who vanished in west London 27 years ago in 1999. In a prison interview he told detectives that he had hidden her body in woodland 24 years ago giving them the location with an X marking the spot. But that woodland is 15 minutes away from where the skull was found last month. The location pointed out by Bellfield was in woods near Kempton Park Racecourse and has yet to be searched - much to the dismay of Elizabeth’s family. The last statement police gave on the case confirmed they had interviewed a ‘person of interest’ a number of times under caution and “examined all information made available to them” - even visiting a number of locations. But they concluded: “It’s right that a considerable amount of time and police resources were dedicated to this investigation as we hoped to find Elizabeth and provide much-needed answers for her family. “All relevant lines of enquiry were exhausted in 2023 and the decision was subsequently taken to close this investigation. “As a result of these inquiries, a number of inconsistencies and discrepancies were uncovered that lead us to believe that the confession was false and that this individual was not connected to Elizabeth’s disappearance. Our thoughts remain with Elizabeth’s loved ones.” Senior detectives have previously warned that Bellfield is a pathological liar and may be trying to win prison privileges by attempting to co-operate. Lola Shenkoya Lola went missing a few months after Elizabeth Chau vanished. She was last seen getting off an E2 bus near Ealing Broadway Underground station west London near a Burger King. Her bank accounts have remained untouched, and no trace of her has ever been found. The 27-year-old computing graduate, who was born in the US was known as a thoughtful and intelligent woman. She went missing after finding herself unable to get into her home as her sister had the only key. Bellfield’s sister Ann-Marie Bellfield told the Mirror a decade ago how she believed her brother could be behind the murders of Elizabeth and Lola. She said: “Them two girls just disappeared off of the street. At the time, Levi had a clamping business in West Ealing, which was in the area, and I do believe he is somehow linked to those cases. Serial rapist Andrzej Kunowski, who died in 2009, was quizzed over both cases as he was local to that area but no concrete evidence was found to link him to the disappearances. Iwona Kaminska She disappeared in Hammersmith, west London, after finishing work packing glasses on July 13th, 2000 and police offered a £10,000 reward for information. Detectives fear she was kidnapped and killed. Ms Kaminska's family have told of their “utter heartache” waiting to hear news of her. She would have been expected to catch the 220 bus from Hammersmith bus station. Chris Clarke added: “It fits the victim profile for Levi Bellfield. Two of the missing people were last seen alighting from a bus. He’s known as the ‘bus stop killer’. “The trigger point is he had an in-depth local knowledge. Bellfield grew up and went to school in the area and continued to use the area when he was a wheel clamper. “He fits the modus operandi. He had the means, the motive and the opportunity. The means is hitting the victims on the head with a hammer and the opportunity is he lived and worked in the area. “There may be other victims in that area. The police could find more if they looked. They need to bring in some expertise to search the whole area and find out what is beneath the soil. There could be a cluster there. “He would feel comfortable in that area, it would be a perfect hunting ground where he could quickly disappear and melt into the background in plain sight, a bit like Peter Sutcliffe in Bradford. “He’s also known in the area and would not raise suspicion. He would have been working in plain sight. “I did send information to The Met Police with my thoughts but I think they are probably doing this anyway. “He abducted Milly Dowler and was convicted for her murder and the police searched that very lake for the car he used. This indicates he was working in that area, as the serial killer he emerged to be.”