Maria Jane Rawlings

Police in the United Kingdom appealed for information when mother of two, forty five year old Maria Jane Rawlings, was found dead in Little Heath, Romford, east London on the 4th of May 2021 by a man walking his dog at around 2pm in the afternoon.

Maria, who lived in the Chelmsford area of Essex, was last seen on the evening of the 3rd of May and police obtained CCTV footage from the area where her body was found. Maria had attended the King George Hospital in Goodmayes, Ilford, on the evening of the 3rd of May before she left on foot to Barley Lane in the direction of the A12. She was seen walking along this route on CCTV.

When police investigated further, they discovered that there was CCTV from a homeowner's security camera that showed Maria walking and a man approached her. That man dragged Maria off the street and led her to the shrubbery where her body was later found. It happened at around 11.17pm the night of the 3rd of May.

Police put out an appeal for information in relation to a man who was travelling on a 364 bus towards Dagenham at approximately 00.16am that same night. 

Police later arrested twenty year old Valentin Lazar from Barking and he was charged with the murder of Maria. He appeared in Court and spoke only to confirm his personal details through a Romanian interpreter

The Metropolitan Police said a post-mortem examination gave Maria's preliminary cause of death as neck compression and possible blunt force head trauma.

Valentin is currently awaiting Trial.