Police investigating the disappearance of a man in south London say they have found a body in the boot of a car.
Justin Henry, 34, was wearing distinctive jewellery – including a Rolex watch, three Cartier bracelets and a diamond ring – when he went missing on 15 October, shortly after leaving a McDonald’s drive-thru in Croydon, south London, in his Mercedes.
Officers informed Henry’s family of their discovery earlier this week after conducting a forensic search of a red Nissan in Purley, near Croydon, although the body in the boot has yet to be formally identified.
Two men, aged 29 and 28, have been charged with murder and a 27-year-old woman, who was arrested on suspicion of kidnapping, has been bailed, pending further inquiries.
The Met said the Nissan was being treated as a crime scene to preserve evidence, and that a postmortem examination had been carried out but no cause of death has yet been established.
DCI Matt Webb, of the Met’s specialist crime command, said: “On Tuesday, we confirmed that a body was in the car and we spoke to Justin’s family later that day. We are waiting to formally confirm the identity of the body.”
He appealed for members of the public to come forward with information: “While we have charged two people with Justin’s murder, we would still like anyone who has any information of the red Nissan’s movements in the days following Justin’s disappearance to call police – we still need and ask for the public’s help.”
Henry was last seen in person at his partner’s address in Brixton on 15 October and was reported missing a day later.
Detectives believe that, after leaving the McDonald’s at about 9.50pm, he drove to nearby Waddon New Road where his silver Mercedes E Class remained for about two-and-a-half hours.
The Mercedes was found on Monday 16 October in Kingswood Drive, SE19.
It is unclear who was driving the vehicle when it arrived there just before 1am on that day due to indistinct CCTV image of the driver, but Henry’s family have said it was not him.
His mother, Helen Henry, told LBC earlier this month: “Every day I pray Justin will walk through the front door and say: ‘Mum, I’m OK.’”
Webb said: “My heart goes out to his [Justin’s] family who have suffered weeks of anxiously waiting for news. Justin’s family are understandably very upset and we would ask media to respect their privacy at this very difficult time.”
Officers have conducted forensic scientific examinations of an address in Croydon and of Henry’s car, and have been studying CCTV footage.
Anyone with information is asked to get in touch with the police via 101 or to contact Crimestoppers.
