The disappearance of teenager Alice Gross is now being treated by police as a murder inquiry after a body was found in a west London river.
Detectives say significant efforts were made to conceal the body, which was discovered on Tuesday night.
Alice's family have been informed. Formal identification is yet to take place and a post-mortem examination is due to be held later, police said.
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Commander Graham McNulty: "Significant efforts were made to conceal the body"
Convicted murderer Arnis Zalkalns, 41, from Latvia, remains the prime suspect.
He was filmed cycling along the Grand Union Canal 15 minutes after Alice had walked along it, on 28 August. It is the last known sighting of the 14-year-old.
Mr Zalkalns has been missing from his Ealing home since 3 September.
The body was found in the nearby River Brent.
Speaking outside Scotland Yard, Commander Graham McNulty said: "We are unable to make a formal identification at this stage, but clearly this news is devastating for everyone involved in the search for Alice.
"At this time my thoughts are with Alice's family and friends."
'Cunning predator'He urged anyone with information to come forward, saying it was not too late.
"I would like to thank the local community of Ealing who have shown huge support and patience during the course of our investigation. This discovery will have a significant impact throughout the borough," Cdr McNulty said.
"You only need to walk around the surrounding streets to see the effect that Alice's disappearance has had on the whole community."
The family's local MP, Stephen Pound, who lives on the same street as them in Hanwell, said there was an "an incredible sense of sadness"
He said there was also "anger that we're dealing with a pretty cold, cunning predator here - someone who has concealed a body in a particularly effective way.
"This is a pretty horrific business but now - our thoughts have to be with the family."
'Charge ready'Her disappearance sparked a police search which was the Met's largest since the 7/7 bombings in 2005.
Hundreds of officers from several forces around the country have helped with the investigation. The RAF and London Fire Brigade were also involved.
A dedicated team of 30 officers have scoured hours of footage from hundreds of CCTV cameras.
The Met's homicide and major crime squad took control of the hunt on 3 September but continued to stress it was still a missing person inquiry.
Two men were arrested in the week after Alice went missing but both were released with no further action to be taken.
A reconstruction of Alice's last known movements was staged last week.
Lampposts and postboxes in Hanwell, west London, have been decorated with yellow ribbons to raise awareness.
Officers have also been searching for Mr Zalkalns. The Latvian was convicted of his wife's murder in 1998 and served seven years in jail before moving to the UK in 2007.
The investigation came under fire amid claims of delays in identifying Mr Zalkalns as a risk, while detectives later admitted they have no power to arrest him if he has managed to flee abroad.
Cdr McNulty said the force would need to be "charge ready" to apply for a European Arrest Warrant, and has not done so because this would stop officers being able to interview the suspect.
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