Police hunting for missing man Justin Henry find body in car boot in south London
9 November 2023, 20:23 | Updated: 9 November 2023, 20:39
Detectives hunting for missing south London man Justin Henry have found a body in the boot of a car.
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Mr Henry, 34, was last seen at a McDonald’s drive-thru on London Road in Croydon, on October 15. Two men aged 29 and 28 have been charged with his murder.
Officers hunting for him found a red Nissan in Purley, south of Croydon, on Monday. A body was found in the boot on Tuesday as the car was being forensically examined.
No formal identification has taken place, but Mr Henry's family have been told of the development.
A post-mortem that took place on Thursday did not reveal a cause of death.
Detective Chief Inspector Matt Webb, of the Met’s Specialist Crime Command, said: “Due to the need to preserve forensic evidence, officers conducted a careful and methodical examination of the scene. However, 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.
“My heart goes out to his 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.
“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.”
Justin’s mum, Helen Henry, told LBC earlier this month that his disappearance was breaking her, and she believes “someone out there” knows where her son is.
She said at the time: “Every day I pray Justin will walk through the front door and say mum I’m ok.
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“I need the closure. I need to know what happened to my son and if he’s alive or dead.
“I see him every day, he’s such a big part of my life and this is totally out of character for him.”
The two men charged in connection with the disappearance of Justin are due to appear at the Old Bailey on January 15.
A 27-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of kidnapping in October. She has since been bailed pending further enquiries to a date in mid-January 2024.
Anyone with information is asked to call police on 101 or on X, formerly Twitter, on @MetCC quoting Operation Ashgulf or CAD 5224/21Oct, or call Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.
