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Henriett Szucs named as second woman found dead in Canning Town freezer

‘The way in which they died is truly shocking,’ says Scotland Yard as police name 34-year-old Hungarian national

Adam Forrest
Tuesday 07 May 2019 20:05 BST
Murder probe launched after women’s bodies ‘found in freezer’ at London flat

Police investigating the bodies of two women found in a freezer in east London have identified the second victim.

Henriett Szucs, 34, was discovered by police during a search of a ground-floor flat in Canning Town a fortnight ago.

The Hungarian national, who had been in the UK for several years but was of no fixed address, was reported missing on 10 May.

Metropolitan Police said she is understood to have been last heard from nearly three years ago in summer 2016 and they have appealed for information from anyone who had been in contact with her.

The other victim has already been identified as missing mother-of-three Mihrican Mustafa. The 38-year-old, who was also known as Mary Jane and MJ, disappeared last May.

No formal cause of death has yet been established for the women but post-mortem examinations showed they both suffered multiple injuries.

Because Ms Mustafa was a missing person, the Met has referred itself to the police watchdog, the Independent Office for Police Conduct.

Officers were called at 11.45am on 26 April to a flat in Vandome Close in the east end, where the bodies were discovered.

Detective Chief Inspector Simon Harding, of the Homicide and Major Crime Command, said: “Today we have been able to confirm to Henriett’s family that she is sadly one of the women found in the property at Vandome Close.

“They are of course devastated and we would ask for their privacy to be respected. MJ’s family continue to try to come to terms with their loss and we have specialist officers supporting both families.”

DCI Harding added: “Now we know Henriett’s identity, we would appeal for anyone with information about her and in particular her association with the address in Vandome Close where she was found to come forward.

Mihrican Mustafa, 38, was found dead in a freezer nearly a year after going missing (PA)

“We understand she was last heard from in the summer of 2016 when she spoke to somebody she knew in Hungary on the phone; we need to establish if that was the last known contact with Henriett and I would ask anyone who heard from her after that time to contact my team.

“We also continue to also ask for help to piece together the last movements of MJ’s life. We need to build up a full picture of both of these women’s lives, whether they knew each other, who they associated with and what they were doing in and around Vandome Close and the Canning Town area.

“The way in which they died is truly shocking and our heart goes out to these women’s friends and families.”

Zahid Younis, 34, who lived in the flat, appeared at Wimbledon Magistrates’ Court last week charged with two counts of preventing the lawful and decent burial of a dead body on or before April 27.

He was remanded in custody to appear at Kingston Crown Court on May 29.

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