Men seen running from park murder scene

Two men seen running from a park in London at about the time a young American artist was stabbed to death are being hunted by the police.

The suspects were seen near where Margaret Muller, 27, was found dead in Victoria Park, Hackney, east London, on Monday morning. The men, described as being of eastern Mediterranean appearance, were seen to check their clothing after leaving the park and then walk away.

Ms Muller, an American who moved to England to study at the Slade School of Fine Art in London in 1998, was attacked while out jogging. Police are unsure whether the murder was a mugging that went wrong or an attempted sexual assault.

They are investigating possible links with a rape at knifepoint near Victoria Park last Thursday.

One of the suspects is described as having thin, long sideburns. The second had black hair, a hooked nose and the collar of his jacket was turned up. Detective Chief Superintendent John Shatford, who is heading the inquiry, said: "We need to urgently trace [the men]. They are clearly highly significant and may have very important information for us."

The artist, described by police as someone with a bright future, did not regularly jog in the park, which means an acquaintance or stalker was unlikely to have lain in wait for her. The police have appealed to anyone who recently commissioned work from Ms Muller, or posed for her life paintings, to contact them. Detectives are also trying to trace her boyfriend, reported to be a British artist.

Ms Muller was a part-time studio assistant at Slade and moved in October to a small flat near Victoria Park in Liquid Studios, a converted factory building where other artists live and work. Det Ch Supt Shatford said: "She lived a Bohemian lifestyle but was very meticulous, tidy and decent. She was not the type who would easily befriend strangers. She was very careful who she talked to."

Ms Muller's parents are expected to travel to London from America.

They spoke yesterday from their home in the Washington suburb of Falls Church about the loss of their daughter.

Eileen Muller said she had feared for her daughter's safety and had been hoping to persuade her to return home. Last week Mrs Muller almost flew to London to see her. "I would have been there on that Monday," she said. "Perhaps it wouldn't have happened." She said she had wanted her daughter to move away from Hackney.

Her husband, Erich, 61, added: "I don't know what the person who killed her had in mind; but he put an end to a dream and that's a tragedy. I would like to know why he did it – but I'm not sure if he really knew what he was doing himself when he did it."

Mrs Muller said the last time she heard her daughter's voice was a message on the answering machine last Sunday. "She sounded very cheerful," she said. "She loved England and its people. She knew parts of London weren't safe. But she felt safe where she lived."

John Aiken, 52, the director of the Slade school of art, said yesterday: "Everyone is in shock. The whole situation is very disturbing for all the staff and students here."

* A young woman found lying in the street with serious head injuries died in hospital yester-day. She was discovered in Hampton, south-west London early on Tuesday morning.

The woman, a student aged 19, lived locally with her family. Police said she had been out with friends in nearby Kingston and was on her way home when she was injured.