Police investigating the disappearance of midwife Samantha Eastwood are carrying out searches in a rural area of Staffordshire. Specialist teams have cordoned off a section of land in Caverswall, six miles outside Stoke-on-Trent, and are combing the area in search of clues pertaining to Ms Eastwood’s whereabouts. Detective Superintendent Simon Duffy said officers were “working round the clock” to locate Ms Eastwood, who was last seen leaving Royal Stoke University Hospital at 07:45am on Friday 27 July. The alarm was subsequently raised after the 28-year-old midwife failed to return for her night shift. A 32-year-old man from Stoke-on-Trent was initially arrested but has since been released under investigation, Staffordshire Police said earlier this week. In a statement released on Saturday morning, Det Supt Duffy said: “Today’s extensive searches are part of the ongoing investigation, which has officers and staff working round the clock in an effort to find anything which brings us closer to finding Samantha. “I am calling on any member of the public with any information, however small and insignificant it may seem. “Have you seen any unusual or suspicious activity, including parked vehicles in laybys in rural locations around the Stoke-on-Trent/North Staffordshire area?” Ms Eastwood’s neighbours have already come forward to report hearing a scream in the vicinity of her house around 2pm on the day she went missing. Specialist teams have cordoned off a section of land in Caverswall, six miles outside Stoke-on-Trent (PA) Police also said they were seeking the midwife’s missing purse and said her car was found parked on the driveway at her house. Detectives added that Ms Eastwood left her bank cards at home and was believed to have “no access to money”. Ms Eastwood’s sister, Gemma Eastwood, made a tearful appeal for help in tracing her on Friday. She said: “We miss you very much, we need you home where you belong. “If she’s out there, or anyone knows where she is, please get in touch. “Get her home.” It emerged this week that Ms Eastwood had been engaged to be married, but that the relationshi had been broken off earlier in the year. 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Sign up to our newsletter Invalid Email Something went wrong, please try again later. Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Police this evening remain outside the house of midwife Samantha Eastwood exactly seven days after she was reported missing by concerned colleagues. The 28-year-old failed to turn up to start a late-shift at the Royal Stoke University Hospital at 7pm last Friday. Just 20 minutes later, NHS staff contacted the police as it was so ‘out of character’ for her to be late. Now – exactly a week on – detectives are keeping watch outside her home in Greenside Avenue, Baddeley Green , as the investigation into her disappearance continues. Her blue Volvo XC60, which had been parked outside, has since been taken away for forensic analysis. The last confirmed sighting was of her driving that vehicle away from the Royal Stoke at 7.45am. A 32-year-old man who was arrested on suspicion of kidnap has since been bailed. Detective Superintendent Simon Duffy, of Staffordshire Police, said Samantha’s family were being supported at a very difficult time. (Image: Facebook) He said: "The family are dealing with everything as you would expect. There is big support in place and family liaison officers have been with the family to support them because it is totally unexplained and totally out of character. "The concerns of the family were identified by us immediately when Samantha was reported missing which is why she was categorised as high risk almost straight away from the initial assessment. "We know how traumatic that is for members of the family for something like this where she's not been in touch. It's never happened before and there is no reason we can see at the moment why she would have disappeared. "Consequently we have offered a proportionate level of support to them. "Samantha is a committed midwife and from everything we can ascertain she would never let her colleagues down. "She would be aware of the impact of her not turning up for work. It's a massive thing for her not to be in touch with work. She's highly professional and that ramps up our concern." Police released images of Samantha’s missing purse this afternoon. They are yet to reveal any information on the whereabouts of her phone. Det Supt Duffy added: "It’s a purse Samantha had in daily use and it is the only thing we can say with some certainty is still missing. "We've appealed to see if someone has discarded it somewhere, seen it for sale somewhere - there is no investigative opportunity we will overlook." Samantha's sister Gemma this morning made a tearful appeal for anyone with information to come forward. She said: "We miss you very much, we need you home where you belong." Samantha is white, approximately 5ft 3in tall, of medium build and with shoulder-length ginger hair. She has brown eyes and a fair complexion with freckles. Anyone with any information about Samantha’s disappearance should call Staffordshire Police on 101, quoting incident number 940 of July 27. Alternatively, information can be shared online with police here .<doc-sep>The video will auto-play soon 8 Cancel Latest news email updates straight to your inbox Invalid Email Something went wrong, please try again later. Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice A man is due in court today after being charged with the murder of midwife Samantha Eastwood. Detectives investigating the death of the 28-year-old last night (August 5) charged Michael Stirling. Stirling, aged 32 and from Stoke-on-Trent, is the brother-in-law of the victim's ex-fiance John Peake, 34. He is set to appear before North Staffordshire Magistrates' Court this morning (August 6). Around a dozen uniformed officers were seen at the suspect's home on Sunday. Police have also been searching a semi-detached property in Stoke-on-Trent. (Image: Staffordshire Police) The body of Samantha was discovered during a police search of rural ground near to Caverswall on Saturday. She was reported missing on Friday July 27 after she failed to appear for a night shift. Her heartbroken family issued a statement through Staffordshire Police. It read: "The family of Samantha would like to ask that their privacy is respected at this terrible time. "We would like to say 'thank-you' to all the people who followed Samantha's story and tried their best to help." Floral tributes have been left on Samatha's doorstep on Greenside Avenue in the Stockton Brook area of Stoke-on-Trent. Two other men aged 60 and 28, who were arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender, have been released on conditional bail while enquires are ongoing, Staffordshire Police added. A post mortem took place on Sunday to establish the cause of death. One of her colleagues paid tribute to Samantha, who had worked at the Royal Stoke hospital for six years. Chief Nurse Liz Rix, of University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust, wrote on Twitter: "Sam will be deeply missed and our thoughts are with her family and friends during this time. "Sam, who had worked as a midwife at Royal Stoke for six years, was a much loved and valued member of the Maternity service. "I would like to thank @StaffsPolice for their dedication and support this week."<doc-sep>
Detectives investigating the disappearance of a midwife are carrying out searches in rural Stoke-on-Trent. Samantha Eastwood was last seen leaving work after her night shift at Royal Stoke University hospital eight days ago. Investigators are now searching an area of Caverswall, about seven miles from the hospital, for signs of the 28-year-old, Staffordshire police said. “Today’s extensive searches are part of the ongoing investigation, which has officers and staff working round the clock in an effort to find anything which brings us closer to finding Samantha,” said Det Supt Simon Duffy. The announcement comes a day after Gemma Eastwood, Samantha’s sister, broke down in tears at a public appeal for information on Friday. “Get her home,” she said, as she appealed for any information about her “best friend and partner in crime”. “Without her, half of me has gone,” she said. “If she’s out there, or anyone knows where she is, please get in touch.” Police are looking into claims that a scream was heard from Eastwood’s home on the day she disappeared. “It forms part of one of a number of theories and ongoing investigations,” Duffy said. CCTV footage released by police shows Eastwood, dressed in a blue uniform and carrying a green handbag, leaving work at the hospital with a colleague and getting into her Volvo XC60 car at 7.45am on Friday 27 July. A second CCTV camera then captures her vehicle heading towards the Hilton Road exit within the hospital grounds. She has not been seen since the CCTV footage was recorded, but her car is parked outside her home in Stoke-on-Trent. Concerns continue to grow because Eastwood’s bank cards were found in her home, meaning she had no access to money, Duffy said. Specialist search teams, including a dog support unit, have been seen at a number of addresses in north Staffordshire. A 32-year-old Stoke-on-Trent man was arrested but has since been released under investigation, police said. Duffy, who is leading a high-risk missing persons inquiry, said the force was also looking for Eastwood’s distinctive dark-coloured Radley zip purse, which bears a multi-coloured version of the company’s dog logo and has a pink interior. Police have said it appears to be the only missing item of her property. Detectives have been tight-lipped about whether they have recovered Eastwood’s mobile phone, adding that the information was part of their continuing investigation. They have appealed for dashcam footage recorded in north Staffordshire over the weekend and asked the public to report any sightings of vehicles parked in unusual locations, isolated areas or laybys, no matter how inconsequential it may appear. Eastwood is described as white, about 5ft 3in (160cm) and of medium build, with shoulder-length red hair and a fair complexion with freckles.