Chloe Mitchell, 21, was last seen by her family on the evening of Friday, 2 June, but she was captured on CCTV in the early hours of the following morning in Ballymena town centre.

Two men, aged 26 and 34, remain in police custody in relation to her disappearance.

The suspected remains were found in Ballymena, County Antrim, where Ms Mitchell was from.

Forensic officers attended a flat in the James Street area of Ballymena on Sunday evening.

The property had been cordoned off by police earlier in the week.

The discovery comes after extensive searches across Ballymena over recent days.

Ms Mitchell was described by the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) as a "high risk missing person".

In a statement, detective chief inspector Richard Millar said: "Sadly today detectives have recovered suspected human remains in Ballymena, and while there has been no formal identification, we have now launched a murder enquiry 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 this evening 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."

A 26-year-old man arrested on Thursday in Lurgan, Co Armagh continued to be questioned on Sunday after officers on Saturday secured a 36-hour extension to his detention period.

A second man, 34, was detained in the Ballymena area on Saturday. He also remained in custody on Sunday.