This article is more than 11 months old

This article is more than 11 months old

Police have confirmed that human remains found in woodland in Stevenage are those of the missing midwifery student Joy Morgan.

The 20-year-old was murdered in December 2018 by a fellow worshipper at the Israel United in Christ church in Ilford, east London.

Shohfah-El Israel, 40, was jailed for 17 years in August, with the judge noting his “cruel and cowardly silence” about where his victim was buried.

A member of the public discovered Morgan’s remains on 5 October, hidden in woodland off Chadwell Road, just outside an area of Stevenage previously searched by officers, Hertfordshire police said.

A postmortem examination carried out on Tuesday could not establish a cause of death and further tests were scheduled, the force added.

Morgan’s mother, Carol, said: “Joy was so beautiful and completely lived up to her name – she brought joy to all our lives.

“Our family has been living a nightmare and we miss her so, so much. Joy was studying to be a midwife and would have graduated by now. “I know she would have been amazing as a midwife. I was so proud of her and I always will be. She was our star.”

DCI Justine Jenkins said: “My thoughts are with Joy’s family at this difficult time, and while nothing can end their pain I hope that this gives them closure and I am glad that they will now have the opportunity to say goodbye to Joy.”

Israel, whose birth name is Ajibola Shogbamimu, and Morgan spent time alone together, against strict church rules, before he killed her.

The married father then tried to cover his tracks by removing her number from a church Telegram group chat to make it appear as if she had left the close-knit religious group. He also went to her student house-share under the guise of checking on her in the days after she apparently went missing.