Police find remains of woman missing for year after churchyard search
THE body of a 70-year-old woman missing for more than a year has been found in a churchyard.
Norma Girolami’s remains were discovered during a police search at St Katherine’s Greek Orthodox Church in Friern Barnet, north London.
It is four miles from Ms Girolami’s Highgate flat. She vanished in August last year, with food still in the fridge
Two months later Serkan Kaygusuz, 42, of Islington, was charged with her murder. He is awaiting trial.
A “no body” murder probe began that October after police judged there was a lack of “proof of life” since all communication from Ms Girolami ended on August 19.
Officers had searched several other sites before finding her body at the churchyard. The remains have been identified and are due to be forensically examined.
A recent £20,000 reward for information related to Ms Girolami’s disappearance did not assist in the Met Police’s discovery.
The force said the breakthrough came as a result of evidence gathered by detectives in their investigation.
Police said Ms Girolami had liked to visit Leigh-on-Sea in Essex and travelled there on August 19, 2021, taking the train from Barking, east London.
The Italian pensioner returned to London later that day but all contact with her was then lost that evening. Detective Chief Inspector Kate Blackburn said that the investigation into her disappearance is continuing and she urged anyone with useful information to still contact police.
She added: “Despite accepting that Norma was no longer alive, I know that her family are deeply affected by the news that her remains have been found. Our thoughts are very much with them.
“My team has spent more than a year searching for Norma and there is a sense of relief that we have found her remains which will undergo forensic examination in due course.
“Despite this discovery, I would still be very keen to hear from anyone who knew Norma, either in London or at Leigh-on-Sea, who can provide information on anything that was happening in her life in August last year.”
DCI Blackburn continued: “I am also appealing for anyone who saw any activity around the churchyard in Friern Barnet Lane, N20, between August and October last year.
“Norma’s family and friends have endured a year of not knowing what had happened to her and our investigation remains ongoing.
“If you have any information, no matter how small a detail it may seem, please get in touch.”
Anyone with helpful information is requested to phone police on 101 or tweet @MetCC.