One of the two women whose bodies were found in a freezer in a flat in east London has been formally identified as Mihrican Mustafa.

Police said the mother of three, also known as Mary Jane or MJ, had been reported missing last May.

Detective Chief Inspector Simon Harding said: "We are now confident that one of the females found is MJ. As you can imagine, this is a devastating time for her family and we would ask for their privacy to be respected.

"MJ was reported missing in May 2018. As yet we don't know when she died; a post-mortem examination is ongoing."

Image: The mother of three had been reported missing in May 2018

Police are urging anyone who knew the 38-year-old to come forward - especially if they have information about what happened to her, or know how she became associated with the address in Canning Town where she was found.


Scotland Yard has referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct because the victim was a missing person.

Before Ms Mustafa was officially identified, her older sister Mel said: "I wish the police would have listened to us earlier. They failed and I'm not scared to admit it anymore."

Officers discovered the bodies of two women in the small chest freezer after they were called to a ground-floor flat last Friday over concerns for the welfare of a "male occupant".

The bodies were clothed, on top of each other and fused together - with Mr Harding describing the crime scene as "one of the most challenging and complex he has seen in 28 years".

Police initially said the post-mortem could take up to a week to complete because of the conditions in which the victims were discovered.

Image: Police at a property on Vandome Close in east London

A 34-year-old man named Zarhid Younis, who lived in the flat, was charged with two counts of preventing the lawful and decent burial of a dead body at Wimbledon Magistrates' Court on Thursday.

Police have said the apartment had been used by "transient members of the community" and was linked to drug use.

Detectives previously arrested a 50-year-old man on suspicion of murder, who was released under investigation.

:: Anyone who can help is asked to contact the incident room on 020 8721 4205, via @MetCC or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at crimestoppers-uk.org.