A promising teenage singer found stabbed to death on a recreation ground in London may have been held against her will for almost a week, police said today.
An undated photograph of Jeshman who was found stabbed to death in London this week
Jeshma Raithatha, who would have turned 18 last week, failed to contact family or friends after she went missing on Monday last week.
Officers said the "bubbly" A-Level student usually kept in constant contact through text messaging, phone calls or in Internet chat rooms, but had not been heard of after she was last seen by a staff member at Claremont High School in Kenton, north-west London
Her body was discovered on Tuesday morning in dense undergrowth near a footpath in Greenford, west London, close to where she lived.
Detective Superintendent Sue Hill, leading the murder inquiry, said it was likely the teenager was killed elsewhere before her body was dumped at the site, 500 yards from her home.
"It is crucial to the inquiry that we find out where Jeshma was from when she was last seen until the time her body was found on Tuesday morning.
"She was a 17-year-old with everything to look forward to, who has been brutally killed. Her friends and family are traumatised.
"This is a devastating, harrowing killing of a beautiful young girl."
Ms Hill said that an item of correspondence was found with Jeshma's body and police confirmed it will be examined as part of their inquiries. Detectives are also trawling through phone, text messages and Internet usage records in an attempt to find any clue to why the teenager may have been killed.
No weapon used to stab Jeshma was recovered at the scene, Ms Hill said, but police would not disclose if a knife had been located elsewhere.
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PA