A MAN has been arrested as part of a murder investigation following the disappearance of a woman who went missing 12 years ago.

Natalia Doherty has not been seen since her last confirmed sighting in Eastbourne in April 2003, when she was living in Mayfield Place.

Officers from the Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire Major Crime Unit have been trying to unravel the mystery of her disappearance after it is believed she went to stay with her former husband Gerald Doherty in the Regents Arms in Hastings Street, Luton.

The pub has since been demolished and Mr Doherty has since died.

The exact date she left Eastbourne for Luton is currently unclear, but police believe she left on or after April 15, 2003.

In what has become a national operation, police have now arrested a 71-year-old man from the town Port Glasgow, near Glasgow, on suspicion of assisting an offender and preventing a lawful burial. He has been bailed until a date in October.

Police said the “offender” that this man is on suspicion of assisting could be the murderer or an abettor, but no other arrest has been made. The offence of preventing a lawful burial is where someone obstructs the normal procedure of registering a death.

Officers are also searching a property in Luton as part of their enquiries.

Detective Sergeant Graham McMillan said: “This has been a complex 20-month investigation for our officers, who are committed to finding out exactly what happened to Natalia to bring anyone involved in her disappearance to justice, and to finally bring closure to her family.

“We are still focusing our enquiries on Natalia’s time in the Luton area. I would urge anyone who recognises her or her husband Gerald from their time at the now-demolished Regents Arms pub in Hastings Street to contact us.”

Police are working on the assumption that she has been murdered and are working to prove or disprove this theory.

The mother-of-three, also known by the surnames Wilkanowska and Logan, was 50 at the time she went missing.

Detective Inspector Jerry Waite added: "We know Natalia had close links with the Luton area.

"We appreciate a lot of time has passed since 2003 but no murder case is ever closed and this case is no different.

“Natalia's children have been unable to rest not knowing what happened to their beloved mother and we are committed to bringing anyone who may have been involved in her death to justice."

A police spokeswoman said behind-the-scenes operations and covert tactics meant they could not reveal more detail about the arrested man.

Anyone who recognises Natalia or Gerald from their time in Luton and the Regents Arms in 2003, or has any information regarding her disappearance, is asked to contact the Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire Major Crime Unit on 101.