Rania Alayed: Roadside search for 2013 murder victim draws blank

Rania Alayed went missing in 2013

A search for the body of a woman murdered by her husband in a "planned honour killing" has ended after no remains were found, police have said.

Mother-of-three Rania Alayed, 25, from Manchester, went missing in June 2013.

Greater Manchester Police began searching near a lay-by on the A19 near Thirsk, North Yorkshire, two weeks ago after receiving new information.

The force has said detectives "remain committed" to finding her remains.

A trial in 2014 heard Ms Alayed was killed by her husband Ahmed Al-Khatib at his brother's flat in Salford.

Al-Khatib admitted he had been unhappy when his wife started college and began wearing make-up.

He claimed he killed his wife in self-defence after an evil spirit entered her but the court heard she had suffered "years of abuse".

Police have ended their search by the A19 near Thirsk

He was found guilty of murder and jailed for life with a minimum term of 20 years.

Al-Khatib's brothers Muhaned and Hussain were also jailed for helping to dispose of her body.

The court heard Muhaned told police that Ms Alayed, who previously lived in Norton on Teesside, had been buried near a lay-by on the A19.

After her disappearance in 2013, police said they were searching a 15-mile (24km) stretch of the same road near, but that search also drew a blank.

A force statement said: "As with all investigations, if any new credible information comes to light, officers will conduct the relevant enquiries."

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