THREE men have been arrested in connection with the death of Sally Ann John, police said today.

Two men aged 50 and 52 from Swindon, and a 52-year-old from Chippenham have all been arrested on suspicion of kidnap and murder.

A spokeman said: "They were all taken into custody at Gablecross Police Station in Swindon where they currently remain."

This week police forensics experts carried out extensive at the flat in Kimmeridge Close, Nythe, where Sally Ann lived up until her disappearance in 1995.

The arrests mean Sally Ann’s family could be one step closer to the truth at the end of a 20-year ordeal of unanswered questions.

In an emotional appeal last year, her mum Lesley said she always suspected her daughter was dead from the moment she heard the 23-year-old was missing.

“After they first told me all those years ago my first instinct was she was dead,” she said.

“But I have always hoped she is still alive and that I would see her walk back through the door. If she is not, at least we will have that closure.

“We will never forget her. We were quite close and she was close to her sisters, so it was a real shock when she disappeared. I knew what she did for a living and I think she just fell in with the wrong crowd at one stage of her life.”

Lesley said she was grateful to police for re-investigating the case, which has led to a flurry of arrests.

“She was a bright and beautiful girl who could make anyone smile,” she said.

“For years I have wondered where she could be and I have had to deal with the thought that she might have been killed. For a long time I, and all of Sally’s family and friends, have not known what happened to her, where she is or if she was even alive.

“As the years have passed, this has not got any easier and has become something that I live with.

“However, I have never given up the hope that one day she might walk through the door.”

At the time, lead in the case Det Insp Tim Corner paid credit to Lesley and the family.

“It has been incredibly difficult for her to imagine her daughter has been killed,” he said.

“This has been particularly traumatic, but they have remained positive and they are pleased the matter is being re-investigated, which will hopefully bring some closure.”