Body pulled from the Thames believed to be missing London student

A BODY recovered from the Thames last month is believed to be that of a missing London student, police have revealed — amid criticism of the search for her.

- Anthony France and John Dunne

Samaria Ayanle, 19, was in her first year studying Japanese and history of art at SOAS University in Bloomsbury when she vanished. She was last seen on CCTV at her student accommodation near Marble Arch in the early hours of February 22. Later that morning, a member of the public alerted officers to a body near Putney Pier. No personal property was found on the body and fingerprint tests failed to establish the identity.

A missing persons investigation into Ms Ayanle’s disappearance was only launched last Friday when university staff reported it to police. It was only then that police working to identify the body were able to link the inquiries.