A husband has been arrested on suspicion of murdering his missing wife just weeks after publicly pleading for her safe return.

Sussex Police yesterday sealed off the detached family home of mother-of-two Elaine Taggart, 48, as forensics officers searched for clues.

At 9am they arrested her husband Andy Taggart, 43, at the house in affluent Ferringham Road, Ferring, near Worthing, and took him to Chichester Custody Centre for questioning.

Mrs Taggart was last seen more than three months ago on January 3 when she gave a colleague a lift home from work.

Her red Fiat Punto was found near Goring railway station, a five-minute drive from her home, on January 4.

After on-going appeals police confirmed last week they were considering that she may have been murdered.

Officers said they had not yet found a body. Last week they searched woodland around Ferring.

In February Mr Taggart made a public plea for her to come home.

He said his wife had a history of depression and had stopped taking prescribed tablets. He said the pair had discussed divorce in the weeks prior to her disappearance.

Mr Taggart said: "All I want is for her to contact someone to let us know she is OK. It's the not knowing that's killing me.

"I just hope that she hasn't gone and done something stupid."

He told The Argus she packed clothes, her passport and £2,000 cash the night before she went missing.

He said he thought she had gone to her job as a catering manager at Brighton College until the school called to say she had not arrived.

He said she had returned home twice and filled two bin bags with clothes, shoes and jewellery.

Police became increasingly concerned about her well-being when she failed to contact her family on her son Daniel's 14th birthday in March or on Mother's Day.

Neighbours yesterday spoke of their surprise at Mr Taggart's arrest.

One who lives opposite the family and asked not to be named said: "We saw him last night and he seemed very normal, very calm, there was nothing suspicious at all, there seemed nothing untoward. I'm not sure what's happened to the children but that's our main concern at the moment."

He said Mr Taggart came across as a nice, ordinary man.

People in the road were continuing to go about their daily lives, stopping briefly to look at the police officers at work.

It is the second time in 14 months the quiet seaside community of Ferring has had to deal with a major police investigation.

In February 2007 in Green Park, close to the Taggart's home, butcher Dudley Nightingale, 68, stabbed his wife Joan, 64, several times in the kitchen of their bungalow before plunging the 12in blade into his own chest, killing himself. Mrs Nightingale fled and survived the attack.

Police continue to appeal for information about Mrs Taggart, who is white 5ft 6in, of medium build with dark brown hair. Anyone with information should call 0845 60 70 999 quoting Operation Gordon or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.

See a video report of the police search at the argus.co.uk/news

  • See the video here