The "heartbroken" family of Hounslow dad Mohammed Shah Subhani made a fresh appeal for information from the woodland where his body was discovered.
Detectives investigating the death of the 27-year-old, who went missing in May, discovered human remains belonging to the Heathrow airport worker in December.
Officers made the tragic find after searching land near Beaconsfield in Buckinghamshire.
Mr Subhani's grieving family visited the site today to lay flowers, pray and pay tribute to the “loving and caring young man”.
His baby daughter, who was born after he disappeared, also attended.
Speaking for the first time in public the family asked anyone with information about a key vehicle to come forward.
A black BMW X5 which had been stolen from Farnborough, Hampshire on cloned plates of YC67 MFY was seen loitering near the forest around the time Mr Subhani disappeared.
His older sister Quirat said: "What happened to Shah, no one deserves - the only thing we look forward to in our lives now is justice for him.
“For this reason, we beg you all to go back and try remember if there was anything suspicious you saw around Hedgerley Lane or Hounslow around 7 May last year.
“Was there something that you thought looked odd? Did you hear something? Did you find yourself questioning some activities taking place?”
She added: “It is now up to you all to help us unveil the faces of the monsters who did this and get them behind bars forever."
Paying tribute to her brother, she recalled the moment that the family was forced to hear the devastating confirmation that the human remains found did belong to Shah.
"When this heartbreaking news was delivered, we felt as if someone had pulled the ground beneath us and we had been swallowed whole.
“We had waited in hope and prayed that one day, against all odds, Shah will walk through the door and all this would be over. Never did we think Shah would be discovered seven months later, just 15 miles away from home.”
She said it was “beyond our imagination” that something so horrific could have happened to “our loving Shah”.
“These monsters maliciously killed our brother mercilessly and disregarded his body in an isolated woodland,” she added.
“We couldn’t even have fathomed this in our worst nightmares. Not only was Shah robbed of life, but also robbed of a rightful burial.”
Describing her brother as a loving and caring young man who had his whole life ahead of him, Quirat said his four-month-old daughter never got to experience how much of an amazing dad he would have been.
“Our hearts are broken, this pain will never go away," she said.
Detective Chief Inspector Noel McHugh, from Specialist Crime, who is leading the investigation, praised the family for speaking publicly to help the investigation, days after what would have been the victim’s 28th birthday.
"I believe that Shah’s discovery is something that his killer(s) were confident would never happen. However, whilst this was the worst possible news for his loved ones, I believe it presents potential opportunities for our ongoing investigation,” he said.
“I think that this area is only familiar to a small group of people. It is fairly isolated and you would probably have to know it existed, as opposed to it being stumbled across. It is not visible to a passing motorist.
“As I mentioned previously, the wooded area had evidence of spent shotgun cartridges, these are not connected to Shah’s death, but I am keen to speak to people who use this area for such recreational activities, particularly if they were here in early May last year.
Detective Chief Inspector McHugh said a car parked in the wooded spot probably appear out of the norm to locals and police are very keen to understand who was using this vehicle.
He urged the public share any information no matter how small as it could prove to be a “significant piece of the jigsaw in establishing what happened to Shah."
“We have a substantial amount of land left to search and it is very challenging terrain, making it a complex and painstaking undertaking, but we continue to make progress - and have had a significant new find just today,” he added
“We are likely to be here for several more weeks while we complete this important task. I am very grateful to the local community who have been so understanding and supportive of the police operation. I do apologise for the inconvenience that you are experiencing, as we continue to strive to keep disruption to a minimum."
What do the police know so far?
- On the day he disappeared, Tuesday, May, 7 Mr Subhani travelled to Acton police station, arriving at approximately 1.45pm.
- He then travelled from the Acton area at 3pm on a journey to Hounslow. His Audi Q3, registration LC67 CXS, was captured on CCTV travelling south on Hanworth Road, towards Whitton Road, in Hounslow at around 3.17pm.
- Mr Subhani was due to collect £5,000 at a business premises on Derby Road in Hounslow. His white Audi Q3, arrived at 3.19pm and police believe the victim was driving.
- His car left at 3.47pm, but it is not believed that he was driving the car at that time. He was not seen to leave the premises.
- The Q3 entered Park Road and was subsequently moved to Camden on false registration plates.
- DCI McHugh previously confirmed that his team had ruled out the possibility that Mr Subhani was in his own car at the time it was shot at - the vehicle was recovered with ballistic damage on Wednesday, 19 June in Camden.
- One of the other suspicious vehicles officers also still need information about is a blue Range Rover Evoque, using false plates MF13 AOT, which was at the corner of Derby Road at around 3.20 on Tuesday, 7 May, at the same time Mr Subhani was there. Officers know the car later travelled to Ilford on those plates, but has not been seen since. It had a lot of body damage and might have been passed on.
Police still think key people have not come forward
DCI McHugh added: “I am in no doubt that there are people out there with information who have still not come forward.
“There is possibly a misguided loyalty to those responsible for Shah’s murder or you may be frightened of those involved; please be reassured that we will deal with your information sensitively in complete confidence.
"To anyone in the know, just imagine the pain your continuing silence is causing Shah’s family. Please reach out to us if you can help, either via 101 or anonymously via Crimestoppers. A substantial reward of £20,000 remains on offer for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of those involved."
Detectives have made a number of arrests in connection with their investigation
- A 23-year-old-man [A] was arrested on Tuesday, July 2 on suspicion of perverting the course of justice, he has been released under investigation.
- Two men – aged 22 [B] and 25 [C] – were arrested on Monday, July 8 on suspicion of murder, kidnap/abduction and perverting the course of justice. [B] remains on bail, while [C] was released under investigation.
- A 20-year-old man [D] was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit murder, kidnap and perverting the course of justice on Wednesday, July 31. He was subsequently released under investigation.
- A 19-year-old man [E] was arrested on Thursday, August 29 on suspicion of conspiracy to commit murder and kidnap. He was released under investigation.
- A 22-year-old man [F] was arrested at an address in west London on Tuesday, October 22 on suspicion of conspiracy to murder. In addition, a search warrant was executed at a residential address in west London. He was later released under investigation.
- A 22-year-old man [G] was arrested on suspicion of murder on Monday, December 9. He has been bailed to return to a police station at a later date.
- A 67-year-old woman [H] who was arrested at Heathrow Airport on Tuesday, December 17 on suspicion of perverting the course of justice, assisting an offender and making a false statement has been bailed to return to a police station at a later date.
- A 19-year-old man [E] was re-arrested at Heathrow Airport on Friday December 20 on suspicion of conspiracy to commit murder, perverting the course of justice, and preventing a lawful burial. He was released under investigation.
Anyone with any information is asked to contact police on 101, or via Twitter @MetCC quoting Operation Rockton. They can also contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online.