Body found in search for woman murdered by her husband more than 11 years ago

A body has been found in the search for a woman who was murdered by her husband in 2013.

Rania Alayed, 25, was lured to her death by her husband, who buried her body in North Yorkshire before wearing her clothing to convince her family and friends she was alive.

Ahmed Al-Khatib put on Ms Alayed’s jeans and headscarf and then carried her corpse in a suitcase, less than a hour after she dropped their children off at his brother’s flat in Salford, Greater Manchester, on June 7 2013.

Despite numerous searches over the years, the body of the Syrian-born mother-of-three had not been found.

On Tuesday, officers located buried human remains by the A19 in Thirsk, North Yorkshire, after receiving new information, Greater Manchester Police said.

While official identification has not taken place, police said they strongly suspect the remains are of Ms Alayed and her family has been informed.

In a statement issued through police, her son, Yazan, said on behalf of the family: “The discovery of my mother’s remains more than a decade onwards has come as a surreal surprise to me and my family.

“At last, being able to provide a final resting place is all we have wanted for the last 11 years, to have the ability to lay down a few flowers for my mother is more than I can ask for from this world.”

Detective Chief Inspector Neil Higginson, from Greater Manchester Police’s major incident team, said: “More than a decade after her murder, we now strongly believe we have located Rania’s body and are finally able to provide closure to her family, who we know have endured so much pain and grief over the years.”

He added: “Her murder was utterly horrific and not knowing where her body is has inflicted further pain to all those who knew her.

“I hope that we are now able to finally reunite her with her family, where she belongs, so that they can give her a proper resting place.”

In June 2014, Al-Khatib was convicted of Ms Alayed’s murder and sentenced to life at Manchester Crown Court.

He admitted killing his wife but claimed he pushed her to the floor and she banged her head after she appeared to him in the form of an evil spirit.

Al-Khatib lured her to her death on the pretence that she would drop off their children at the home of his brother to spend the weekend with him.

Her brother-in-law left the address with the children some 45 minutes later and shortly after her husband walked out wearing her clothing.

Ms Alayed’s body was in a suitcase which was later moved to Muhaned Al-Khatib’s motorhome, which travelled towards the North East in the early hours of the next day.

The jury was told that telephone, Facebook and message services were deployed to pretend to others that Ms Alayed was still alive.

The trial heard their marriage was “marred by violence” and that Ms Alayed, originally from the Middlesbrough area, left him after years of domestic violence.

She feared for her life and had sought help from the Citizens Advice Bureau, the police and eventually a solicitor, which had angered her husband’s family.

The defendant’s brother, Muhaned Al-Khatib, alongside Al-Khatib, pleaded guilty to intending to pervert the course of justice by transporting and concealing the body of Ms Alayed.

The court heard Muhaned Al-Khatib agreed to show police where her grave was, but the location could not be found.

A third brother, Hussain Al-Khatib, 34, was found guilty by the jury of intending to pervert the course of justice.

Police said on Wednesday that a crime scene will remain in place over the coming days while further work is carried out by specialist officers.