Dozens call police on Stacey's final hours

Police are now looking at a number of sightings of Darren Walker and Stacey Lawrence, who were found dead on Saturday.

They believe Walker, aged 40 and of Bilston, strangled Stacey in the cab of his lorry in a lay-by in Northamptonshire before hanging himself in a tree nearby some time between Friday night and Saturday morning.

Andy Roberts from Northamptonshire Police, said: "We are still appealing for information about the route of the lorry on that day. Until we've got an idea as to how this came about it is just trying to find out about the circumstances leading up to this sad event."

Police have not ruled out that Stacey was sexually abused before her death. Test results are now being fast-tracked.

Mr Roberts said: "We are looking to fast track it as quickly as possible. DCI Tricia Kirk is quite keen to establish to try and rule out the sexual element around this or s

Stacey, a keen animal lover who wanted to be a zookeeper had accompanied the lorry driver on his delivery as a "treat". The pupil at West Bromwich's Eaton Valley Primary School, who suffered from arthritis and has spent a lot of time in and out of hospital this year, had gone out with Walker, who worked for A F Blakemore & Son Ltd in Willenhall on his delivery run for Spar to Great Yarmouth, Norfolk.

At around 3pm on Friday the lorry stopped for a short break near Peterborough before arriving at the lay-by in Warmington at about 3.35pm. Ms Kirk said the pair were spotted leaving the vehicle to use a toilet at the services.

They ate a meal of macaroni cheese and Stacey's mother Roxanne last heard from Walker some time between 7.30pm and 8pm that night, when he told her he planned to leave in the early hours of the next morning.

She said: "She heard Stacey talking in the background because she was watching a programme that she particularly liked – My Family. She doesn't describe there being any indication that there was anything wrong. It was just a normal conversation.

"She trusted him and did not have any reason to think that he would ever cause any harm to her daughter." Yesterday Ms Kirk said police are trying to track down Walker's previous partners in the West Midlands for more information about him.

She said Walker, who had been seeing Stacey's mother for about a year, only had one previous police record.

In 2006 he was cautioned for an assault on his wife of three years – who he was in the process of being divorced from at the time of his death. She said: "He was cautioned for that offence and we have no other criminal records for him."

Ms Kirk also said the family computer had been seized and police plan to speak to Stacey's three siblings about Walker. Meanwhile tributes have been pouring in to a website set up in memory of Stacey, who was described by her devastated mother Roxanne as "popular and happy".

Sarah Uglow wrote: "This pretty little girl was killed by her mum's evil boyfriend only a mile from where I live, makes me sick what that evil man did to her."

Harry Delaney added: "RIP little angel. I just don't understand the evil in this world that do something like this."

Keith Shilton, headteacher from Cronehills Primary, which reopens at the new Eaton Valley Primary on Monday, paid tribute to the talented, bubbly and kind pupil.

"Stacey was an extremely talented girl who was about about to go into year five," he said. "She was very excited about the move to the new school and was a delight to teach. She was a real all-rounder. She was good at everything. Kind and helpful, she was a very popular girl."

He said that the school is planning a permanent memorial to Stacey and may be bringing counsellors into school to explain what has happened to the other pupils.