Chloe Mitchell: Man charged with murder after human remains found in search for 21-year-old in Ballymena

The 21-year-old from Ballymena in Northern Ireland has been missing since June 2

A man has been charged with the murder of Chloe Mitchell, 21, who went missing earlier this month in Ballymena, Northern Ireland.

A 26-year-old man was charged with murder, police said. A 34-year-old man has also been charged with assisting offenders. Both men are due to appear before Ballymena Magistrates' Court on Monday.

Police launched a murder investigation after human remains were found on Sunday. The remains were discovered during searches for the missing woman in Ballymena.

Ms Mitchell was last seen in the County Antrim town between the night of 2 June and the early hours of 3 June. Forensic officers attended a flat in the James Street area of Ballymena on Sunday evening, after the flat had been cordoned off by police earlier in the week.

In an earlier statement after the suspected human remains were found, Detective Chief Inspector Richard Millar said: "While there has been no formal identification, we have now launched a murder inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the disappearance of 21-year-old Chloe Mitchell, who was a high-risk missing person.

"Earlier this week we launched a criminal investigation into Chloe's disappearance. Tragically, we now have reason to believe that Chloe was murdered.

"Our thoughts are very much with Chloe's family and we have specialist officers providing them with support at this heart-breaking time.

"I would like to thank the community in Ballymena and the search and rescue teams for their help in trying to find Chloe."