Scotland Yard detectives were last night struggling to establish the identity of a young woman who was the victim one of the most macabre murders of recent years.
The dead woman, thought to be in her 20s, was found in a locked suitcase in one of Heathrow Airport's multi-storey car parks. A post-mortem has revealed multiple stab wounds, although this has not been formally confirmed as the cause of death. It is thought that the woman was killed somewhere else and was then brought to the car park and dumped.
The suitcase was discovered on an unattended luggage-trolley during a routine security patrol of the car park late on Saturday evening. The black canvas case seemed to have been abandoned, with its wheels and handle missing. Police forced the case open to make the grim discovery. The woman was bundled up into a foetal position inside the 3 ft by 2 t by 9 in suitcase.
Police believe the killer may have been caught by security cameras or seen by a passer-by. "Whoever did it would be heavily bloodstained," a Scotland Yard spokesman said.
The victim was about 5 ft 11 in and had collar-length auburn or blonde hair. She was of Moroccan or Turkish appearance and had brown eyes. She was lightly dressed and wore no jewellery except for a gold chain.