Police searching for the body of a murder victim have discovered human remains in Thirsk.
Officers investigating the death of Rania Alayed made the discovery on Tuesday.
Rania Alayed, 25, from Salford, Greater Manchester, was lured to her death by her husband, who buried her body in North Yorkshire before wearing her clothing to convince her family and friends she was alive.
In June 2014, Rania’s husband Ahmed Al-Khatib, was found guilty of her murder and sentenced to life with a minimum of 20 years imprisonment.
Her body was sadly never recovered and multiple searches have taken place in the years since then.
After receiving new information, officers from GMP located buried human remains by the A19 in Thirsk, where they had been operating since Monday.
A Greater Manchester Police spokesperson said: “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.”
A scene will remain in place for the coming days as further work is carried out by specialist officers.
In a statement issued through police, her son, Yazan, said on behalf of the family: “The discovery of my mother’s remains more than a decade onwards has come as a surreal surprise to me and my family.
“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.”
Detective Chief Inspector Neil Higginson, from Greater Manchester Police’s major incident team, said: “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.”
He added: “Her murder was 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.”
In June 2014, Al-Khatib was convicted of Ms Alayed’s murder and sentenced to life at Manchester Crown Court.
He admitted killing his wife but claimed he pushed her to the floor and she banged her head after she appeared to him in the form of an evil spirit.
Al-Khatib lured her to her death on the pretence that she would drop off their children at the home of his brother to spend the weekend with him.
Her brother-in-law left the address with the children some 45 minutes later and shortly after her husband walked out wearing her clothing.
Ms Alayed’s body was in a suitcase which was later moved to Muhaned Al-Khatib’s motorhome, which travelled towards the North East in the early hours of the next day.
The jury was told that telephone, Facebook and message services were deployed to pretend to others that Ms Alayed was still alive.
The trial heard their marriage was “marred by violence” and that Ms Alayed, originally from the Middlesbrough area, left him after years of domestic violence.
She feared for her life and had sought help from the Citizens Advice Bureau, the police and eventually a solicitor, which had angered her husband’s family.
The defendant’s brother, Muhaned Al-Khatib, alongside Al-Khatib, pleaded guilty to intending to pervert the course of justice by transporting and concealing the body of Ms Alayed.
The court heard Muhaned Al-Khatib agreed to show police where her grave was, but the location could not be found.
A third brother, Hussain Al-Khatib, 34, was found guilty by the jury of intending to pervert the course of justice.
Police said yesterday that a crime scene will remain in place over the coming days while further work is carried out by specialist officers.