The family of a teacher believed to have been murdered by a stranger and dumped in a park have spoken of their heartbreak after her death.
The body of Sabina Nessa, 28, was found in Cator Park in Kidbrooke, Greenwich, on Saturday evening after she had been missing for 24 hours.
Police have launched a murder investigation as they believe she was killed while on her way to meet friends at a pub at around 8.30pm on Friday.
‘Sabina never arrived at the pub and is thought to have been murdered as she walked through the park,’ said detective inspector Joe Garrity, from the Metropolitan Police.
‘Sabina’s journey should have taken just over five minutes but she never made it to her destination.
‘We know the community are rightly shocked by this murder – as are we – and we are using every resource available to us to find the individual responsible.’
Sabina was a teacher at Rushey Green Primary School in Lewisham, south-east London.
Her cousin Zubel Ahmed told the BBC: ‘We’re still in shock. It’s been a few days but it’s still not sunk in yet.
‘We are all truly devastated. Her parents are absolutely shocked, they’re inconsolable still and understandably so, to hear of their daughter being taken away from them by some cowardly man is just horrific.
‘She honestly was the most caring person, kindest, sweetest girl you could meet. Sabina’s heart was as good as gold, she never had a bad word to say about anyone. Her sister is going to miss her so much.’
He said she was a family-oriented person and an animal lover who had two pet cats.
‘She’s just got a beautiful soul she’s a caring person. She’s left behind two cats, when we were at her house the other day the cats were looking for her.
‘She’s just going to be truly missed. I just can’t find the words to express my sadness at this time.’
Mayor Sadiq Khan has said he is ‘heartbroken’ by her death, and added his thoughts are with ‘her family, friends and the whole community’.
Lisa Williams, the head teacher of Rushey Green Primary School, said in a tribute: ‘She was a brilliant teacher; she was kind, caring and absolutely dedicated to her pupils.
‘She had so much life ahead of her and so much more to give and her loss is desperately sad.’
The teacher had been working at the primary school since last summer, and had previously spent almost three years helping non-English speakers learn language skills.
She studied sociology at the University of Greenwich before going on to complete her teaching qualification at the University of Bedfordshire.
A vigil in Sabina’s memory will be held on Friday at 7pm.
Called Reclaim These Streets, it is taking place in Pegler Square, Lewisham, close to where her body was found.
Organisers said they are ‘angry and heartbroken’ about the murder and called on the Government to do something about ‘an epidemic of violence unfolding in front of our eyes’.
Safeguarding minister Rachel Maclean told the House of Commons yesterday: ‘Every woman who loses their life is one woman too much and we are devastated to hear of the loss of the life of Sabina Nessa. Our hearts go out to the family.
‘This is a Government that is passing legislation, setting out actions and tackling these horrific crimes and we are determined to see a reduction in them.’
Police have called on the public to come forward with any information which may help by calling 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously.
They arrested a man in his 40s on suspicion of murder, but he has been released under further investigation.
A post-mortem examination carried out at Greenwich Mortuary on Monday was inconclusive.
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