Body-in-suitcase woman 'may have been on internet date'

A woman whose body was found dumped in a suitcase on farmland may have gone on an internet date before she was killed, it was disclosed today.

The heavily-decomposed remains of Leah Questin were found in the case in a dried-up pond on farmland off Buckland Road in Cliffe, near Rochester, Kent, last Thursday.

A 35-year-old man was still being questioned today after being arrested at an address in Lewisham, south-east London, yesterday on suspicion of murder. He is in custody at a north London police station.

Philippines-born Ms Questin, 37, was reported missing by a friend overnight on September 16/17 after last being seen at her home address.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said it was one line of inquiry being investigated by detectives.

He said: "We are liaising with a number of internet sites and Gumtree is one of them."

The body of the careworker, of Sneyd Road, near Cricklewood, north London, was found by a dog walker at 1.30pm last Thursday.

Results of a post-mortem examination carried out on Friday proved inconclusive and forensic tests are continuing to establish the cause of death.

Officers are still appealing for anyone with information about her last movements after September 12, when CCTV footage showed her heading south on the 172 bus near the Elephant and Castle, south-east London.

Detective Chief Inspector Peter Lansdown of the Homicide and Serious Crime Command, based at Hendon, said: "I appeal to anyone who saw Leah in south-east London or on the 172 bus or its route on Saturday September 12 to contact us.

"We also need to hear from anyone who may have seen her after September 12 and up until her body was found as we need to understand where she was going, who she was meeting and how she came to be murdered."

Leah was 4ft 11ins with a petite build. She had a light complexion and long black hair, and was wearing a red top and blue jeans.

Anyone with information should call the incident room based at Hendon on 020 8358 0200 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.