A Woman Was Killed by Her Husband in 2013 but Her Body Was Never Found. Police Just Made a 'Surreal' Discovery

Police searching for the body of a woman murdered 12 years ago by her husband in England have found human remains.

Greater Manchester Police shared the news a press release on Wednesday, Feb. 26, stating that remains had been found in Thirsk the previous day after a search in the area began on Feb. 24.

“After receiving new information, officers from GMP located buried human remains by the A19 in Thirsk, where they had been operating since Monday,” the release read. “While no official identification has taken place, we strongly suspect the remains are that of Rania. Her family have been informed of the latest development and are being supported by specially trained officers. They remain at the forefront of our minds.”

According to the BBC, 25-year-old Rania Alayed, who lived in Norton on Teesside before moving to Greater Manchester, was killed by her husband in Salford, Manchester, in 2013. 

In June 2014, her husband, Ahmed Al-Khatib, was found guilty of her murder and sentenced to life with a minimum of 20 years imprisonment, per the release.

Specialist officers will be carrying out further work at the scene, which “will remain in place for the coming days,” the release added.

“The discovery of my mother’s remains more than a decade onwards has come as a surreal surprise to me and my family,” Alayed’s son Yazan said in a statement, per the release.

“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.”

According to the BBC, recent years saw the search for the mother of three’s body being focused around the A19 area after Al-Khatib’s brother Muhaned Al Khatib told the police she had been buried there.

Muhaned admitted to perverting the course of justice by transporting and concealing Alayed’s body and was given a three-year sentence, per the outlet. Al-Khatib’s other brother Hussain Al-Khatib was also found guilty of perverting the course of justice and sentenced to four years.

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Detective Chief Inspector Neil Higginson, from Greater Manchester Police’s Major Incident Team, said in a statement, per the release, “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.”

“Rania’s family have always been kept informed following our searches over the last few years, and we are providing them updates as we get them following this most recent development,” he added.

Higginson described the murder as “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,” he concluded.