Body of murdered teacher went undiscovered for hours after her death

The body of a murdered teacher was not found until hours after she was attacked, the Metropolitan Police said.

Detective Superintendent Luke Marks said there was a “short delay” in finding the body of Sabina Nessa, 28, after she was killed on Friday evening at Cator Park in Kidbrooke, south-east London, because it was “not on the main walkway”.

Speaking at the force’s New Scotland Yard headquarters, he said: “A member of the public found the body the morning after the attack.

“It wasn’t on the main walkway in the park, so that was the reason for the small delay in Sabina being found.”

He appealed for anyone who saw anything suspicious in the park, and for any motorists with dashcam footage from surrounding roads to contact police.

“Today we are asking you, the public, for your help with this investigation.

“We believe that Sabina was attacked at around 8.30pm last Friday as she walked through Cator Park in Kidbrooke.

“This did not happen in the middle of the night; people would have been in and around the park at the time.”

Det Supt Marks added: “We have extra officers in the area conducting high-visibility patrols, and anybody in London, regardless of gender, should be able to go out in an evening and not be concerned about being the victim of violent crime.”

Officers had 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 found the cause of Ms Nessa’s death as inconclusive.

Ms Nessa, from Kidbrooke, has been remembered by Lisa Williams, the head teacher of Rushey Green Primary School in Lewisham where she worked, as “brilliant”, “kind” and “caring”.

Mrs Williams said: “We are devastated by Sabina’s tragic death.

“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.

“As a school we are supporting each other through this very difficult time, and we will be providing specialist support to those who need it.”