A criminologist who spent an hour interviewing Stuart Hazell, the man wanted by police in connection with the death of schoolgirl Tia Sharp, had described his meeting with the family as "emotional", with Hazell describing his step-granddaughter as a "happy go-lucky angel".
Mark Williams-Thomas chatted the Hazell, the partner of Tia's grandmother Christine Sharp, at their home in New Addington, near Croydon, south London, on Thursday.
A body had been found by police searching Tia's grandmother's house, Scotland Yard said on Friday.
The house was cordoned off by police on Friday after bins and garages on the New Addington estate where she lived were searched.
Williams-Thomas said on Twitter that Hazell had thanked him for doing the interview. He tweeted, on hearing about the discovery of a body: "Such sad news - I stayed downstairs yesterday. The other members of the family were all upstairs. I was not allowed to go into Tia's room."
Tia has been missing from her grandmother's New Addington home for a week
A second tweet read: "When I last spoke to the family last night around 8pm Stuart Hazell was in the background & thanked me for the interview."
Shortly after recording the interview for ITV News, Williams-Thomas had tweeted: "Spent time with nearly all the family today very emotional."
Hazell, who was interviewed by police for more than two hours, told ITV News: "She's got no problems at all, she's a happy-go-lucky golden angel, she's perfect. There's no arguments, nothing we can think of."
Hazell said he "loved Tia to bits" like his own daughter.
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