Lindsay Taylor Detectives hunting the killer of murdered schoolgirl Sarah Payne have found what they believe to be one of her shoes in a hedgerow, less than a mil e from where she was found dead. A local woman alerted police to the discovery of the shoe, next to a minor road just south of Coolham - not far from where Sarah's body was found. Throughout out the day officers have been picking their way through hedges along other minor roads in the area, searching for the other shoe and Sarah's blue dress. The recovered right shoe, actually found on Tuesday when Sarah's murder was confirmed, could provide valuable DNA evidence. Detectives are also investigating reports from two families camping in a field not far from Pulborough, who heard a child screaming at around midnight on the day Sarah disappeared.
Police say it's only now that the families realise the possible significance of what they heard.
Sarah Payne was last seen alive near Kingston Gorse on July 1st. The child screaming was heard that night near Fittleworth. Sarah's body was found 2 miles away - next to the A29 near Pulborough. And the shoe was found about four miles away at Coolham. As the floral tributes grow, police hope the public sympathy and sense of outrage, will translate into more relevant information, that will help catch a child murderer.