Police have charged 22-year-old Jamie Reynolds with the murder of Georgia Williams, 17, who has not been seen since Sunday.
The arrest came as West Mercia Police said a body found on the
Nant-y-Garth pass near Wrexham is believed to be that of the teenager.The detective in charge of the investigation into the teenager's disappearance said Reynolds, from Wellington, would appear at Telford magistrates court on Saturday morning.
Speaking at a news conference, Superintendent Nav Malik said that Georgia had died at an address in Wellington, Shropshire, and that the body of a young female had been found in woodlands in the pass near Nant-y-Garth in North Wales.
Superintendent Malik said the body had not been positively identified, but early indications suggested it was linked to Georgia's disappearance.
An area was sealed off in a remote part of the pass, about 10 miles from Wrexham, for the body to be retrieved by forensic experts. It was then taken away in a private ambulance.
Forensic searches were earlier carried out in the house in which Reynolds lived with his parents.
Georgia was last seen by her parents on Sunday evening when she left the family home in Wellington, telling them she was going to stay with friends.
She was reported missing on Tuesday after it emerged she had not stayed with friends, sparking a major search operation.
Superintendent Malik also told reporters at the news conference that the force was liaising closely with the teenager's family "who are naturally devastated by the events".
He said the investigation had been especially challenging and emotional because Georgia's father was a serving member of the force.
"Whenever someone from a police family is involved it is particularly distressing," he added.
Earlier on Friday, Georgia's friends - still holding out hope that she would be found alive - were distributing leaflets around her home town to try to raise awareness about her disappearance.
She was described by close friends as "bubbly", with a great sense of humour.
Katy Lafferty, who was Georgia's best friend and helped organise the leaflet drop, described Georgia as "very outgoing, very smart".
"For something like this to happen to someone like her is a big shock because she would not do anything to hurt anyone," she told Sky News.
Liam Ball who goes to New College in Telford, where Georgia attended lectures, described his friend as "friendly, bubbly and lovely with a great sense of humour".
The 18-year-old, of Shifnal, said: "She is everything you could want in a friend."
Police had also appealed for information on Friday in relation to the sighting of a grey Toyota Hiace 300 van connected to the case.
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