The fiancé of author Helen Bailey has been charged with her murder after a body was discovered in their back garden three months after she vanished.

Ian Stewart, 55, was also charged on Friday night with perverting the course of justice by reporting Miss Bailey, 51, as missing and preventing lawful burial.

Stewart, from Royston, Hertfordshire, briefly appeared before Hatfield Remand Court this morning and will remain in custody until appearing at St Albans crown court on Monday.

Tragedy: Ian Stewart, 55, has been charged with murdering his fiancee, author Helen Bailey, who has been missing for more than three months. The pair are pictured together

Hertfordshire police said a post-mortem is due to take place on Monday and specialist searches at Miss Bailey's home are set to continue.

It comes after neighbours of Helen Bailey claimed her body was discovered in a hidden underground cesspit in the grounds of her home.

Nicki McGrath's mother lives next door to the author and was very friendly with the previous home owner, who told them about a pit under the garage.

The pair were on holiday when they heard about her search underway at the property, so came home early.

She asked detectives on Thursday whether they had drained a 'well' in the property which the previous owner had joked was the 'one place to hide a body'.

While the officers initially told her they couldn't tell her anything, she claims a detective visited her on Friday to ask about the pit, and just hours later the body was found.

Speaking today, Ms McGrath said: 'Mum and I came over on Wednesday evening to see what time the generator [being used by police] would be turned off and we were told it was probably going to 1am, then we'll be turning it on again at 6am but we'll be gone by Friday.

'We were just leaving and I said "this might sound stupid, but I wouldn't be happy with myself if I walked out of this gate and didn't tell you guys about something, but I just want to ask, have you drained the well?"

'The first guy said to me he couldn't say anything so I said we knew the guy who used to own this house very well, and he had often joked that if there was one place to hide a body in his premises, he knew the ideal place

'He used to refer to it as the well.'

Nicki said a senior officer visited them on Friday and added: 'We told him about what we knew and he asked if we had details of the former owner.

'So mum got on the phone to him straight away and the detective asked him about the cesspit.

'It turned out the 'cesspit' they had actually been draining was the overflow so they hadn't actually found the [real] cesspit.

'So once they found the cesspit they got the fire brigade in, got a grappler and they found the body straight away.'

A spokesman for Hertfordshire Police said they could not comment on where Ms Bailey's body was found for operational reasons.

In a statement, Ms Bailey's family said: 'We share with Helen's friends, neighbours and fans our shock, disbelief and sadness at the news of her tragic death.

'As a family we also stand in solidarity with those around the world who have also suffered loss under tragic circumstances.

'Helen was immensely witty and talented. We love her deeply and are immensely proud of her achievements. She is now at peace and we shall all miss her terribly.

'We wish to express our gratitude to the police as well as all those who supported us in the search for Helen in whatever way they could.

'In life, Helen was a very just person and we know that she would now wish, like us, for justice to be done.'

Probe: Police were working in the large garden of Helen Bailey's mansion in Royston with forensics officers working under trees in the top right of the picture, by the swimming pool at the bottom of the picture and on a patio, top left

Detective Chief Superintendent Paul Fullwood, confirmed the body of Ms Bailey's dog, Boris, was also discovered within the grounds.

He said: 'The searches, which resulted in the discovery, have been painstaking and more work will need to take place in the coming days.

'Specialist officers are continuing to support Helen's family at this extremely difficult time.'

Detectives made the discovery in the grounds of Ms Bailey's sprawling £1.3 million seven-bedroom home, three months after she was last seen walking her miniature Dachshund.

The author, who created the Electra Brown series for teenagers, was last seen walking her dog near her home in Royston on 11 April.

It was initially thought that she had gone away for a few days and may have been depressed.

However last Monday specialist police teams returned to the £1.2million Hertfordshire mansion the couple shared and began searching its grounds.

On Friday the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Major Crime Unit said they had found what is believed to be a body.

Police arrested Stewart on Monday on suspicion of killing his partner, disposing of her body and stealing her money.

Hertfordshire police said a post-mortem is due to take place on Monday and specialist searches at Miss Bailey's home (pictured) are set to continue

Yesterday he was re-arrested and questioned at Stevenage police station on suspicion of murder, before being charged.

Police carried out extensive investigations both in Royston and at Miss Bailey's property in Broadstairs, Kent, shortly after she disappeared.

But on Monday they announced a further five-day examination and are understood to have found her body on Thursday.

Earlier this week police were heard drilling in the garden at Royston, with further search work carried out on the patio and close to the swimming pool.

On Thursday night firemen were seen carrying two circular saws into the property. The noise of saws could be heard coming from the back garden, which was screened off.

Firefighters were on the scene at Helen Bailey's home this evening after a body was found

A second team was also seen taking items away from the Broadstairs property in evidence bags.

The couple met through a Facebook group for bereavement in 2011, which Mr Stewart joined following the death of his wife Diane who had an epileptic fit in their garden in 2010.

Computer software expert Stewart, who has two sons, is thought to have travelled to Majorca on holiday at the beginning of June – a trip which was booked for himself and Miss Bailey before she vanished three months ago.

Officers previously confirmed that money belonging to Miss Bailey was taken from her account after she vanished on April 11.