Joy Morgan’s mum said she can now “say goodbye properly” after a body found in woodland near Stevenage was confirmed as the murdered Hatfield student yesterday.
Detective Chief Inspector Justine Jenkins, from the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Major Crime Unit, told BBC Three Counties Radio this morning that "Joy's mum Carol was just pleading to get her daughter back so she could say goodbye properly".
Det Ch Insp Jenkins added: "So she's very sad, but she's also happy that she's got that final piece of the jigsaw really."
The University of Hertfordshire midwifery student was last seen in Ilford, East London, on December 26, 2018.
But it was not until about 7.40am on Saturday that a member of the public found the 20-year-old's body in woodland off Chadwell Road in Norton Green - near to an area previously searched by officers in February - and reported it to police.
Det Ch Insp Jenkins told the BBC that the body "wasn't missed" during previous searches of the area.
"We did search close to the area, but we also searched a number of other areas in Stevenage as well," said Det Ch Insp Jenkins.
She explained that as convicted murderer Shohfah El-Israel, 40, "never said [where Joy's body was], we were working on snippets of information that we had from movements of his vehicle and telephones, etc".
No cause of death was established in Tuesday's post-mortem and further tests will be carried out to find out how Joy died.
The detective also said there would be "no further implications" for El-Israel, of Fordwych Road in London, who is currently serving a minimum sentence of 17 years for Joy's murder - having met her at the Israel United in Christ Church in Ilford.
Carol Morgan, Joy's mum, said yesterday: "Joy was so beautiful and completely lived up to her name - she brought joy to all our lives.
"I know she would have been amazing as a midwife.
"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."
Police are still appealing for information about what happened. If you can help with their enquiries, report information online at herts.police.uk/report, speak to an operator in its force communications room via its online web chat at herts.police.uk/contact or call the non-emergency number 101.
Alternatively, you can stay 100 per cent anonymous by contacting Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or via the independent charity's untraceable online form at crimestoppers-uk.org.
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