Missing Rania Alayed: Police Hunt For Campervan

Detectives investigating the murder of mother-of-three Rania Alayed have released a picture of a white campervan they believe could be connected to her disappearance.

Greater Manchester Police also revealed it had been searching a stretch of the A19 near Thirsk in North Yorkshire for her body.

The white campervan travelled from Manchester to that area of the A19 at about the same time the 25-year-old mother disappeared.

Ms Alayed was reported missing from her home in Cheetham Hill, Manchester, on July 2, having been last seen in public on the evening of June 7.

Her husband, Ahmed Khatib, and brother-in-law, Muhanned Mahmood Al Khatib, have been charged with her murder.

Police believe the campervan stopped at a layby on the northbound carriageway by the side of the A19 between 3am and 5am on Saturday June 8.

They have sent out letters to 350 motorists who are known to have driven in the area at that time to see if they have any information on the campervan.

Ms Alayed previously lived in Cleveland and moved to Manchester in January.

Her disappearance was described by the police as "extremely out of character".

Detective Chief Inspector Peter Marsh, of Greater Manchester Police's major incident team, said: "I cannot begin to imagine the hurt Rania's family are experiencing knowing she is still missing.

"Since Rania disappeared in June we have been working tirelessly to find her, and will continue to do so.

"We are hoping to hear from anyone who saw this white campervan and, in particular, if they saw it parked by the side of the road or in a layby.

"I understand there might not be anything unusual about a campervan parked on a layby in the early hours and I recognise it might not have struck you as significant at the time.

"However, we have reason to believe that Rania's body could be located near to this stretch of road and this is where we have been concentrating our searches.

"I am also interested to hear from anyone walking in the area or working who may have seen some suspicious activity or come across any unusual areas of ground such as a disturbance, cut vegetation.

"The area in question is in excess of 15 miles long and we have a large amount of ground to cover."

He added: "We believe that Rania was taken from Manchester up to the stretch of road that we’re searching, in that campervan."

He described the vehicle as white, old, with blue writing on the side, with the registration F864 RJB.

Anyone with information on the movements of the campervan, or who saw Ms Alayed after 7pm on June 7, is urged to contact Greater Manchester Police on 0161 856 4711.