"It is crucial to the inquiry that we find out where Jeshma was from when she was last seen until the time her body was found on Tuesday morning" - Det Supt Sue Hill

A promising teenage singer killed after being stabbed through the heart may have met her murderer in an internet chat room.

A-level student Jeshma Raithatha, who turned 18 last week, was found stabbed to death on a recreation ground and officers admitted she may have met her murderer in an internet chat room.

Detectives said the "bubbly" girl, who was missing from her home for almost a week before her death, was an avid user of new technology.

But they claimed they have no evidence she formed any specific relationship in a chat room.

The aspiring performer, who had listed herself for voiceover work on a professional website, vanished after being seen at her north London school on Monday last week and forensic tests have shown she died on Sunday - stabbed three times in the heart.

Police said the disappearance was "totally out of character" and are attempting to discover where she spent the six nights before her death - when she failed to contact her family or friends.

Detective Superintendent Sue Hill, leading the murder inquiry, said Jeshma may have been held against her will and confirmed detectives are combing buildings and garages across the local area.

The inquiry team will also investigate if the young student was staying with a friend or boyfriend not known to her family.

Ms Hill said a post mortem examination revealed no "obvious" signs of a sexual assault.

"It is crucial to the inquiry that we find out where Jeshma was from when she was last seen until the time her body was found on Tuesday morning," she said.

"She was a 17-year-old with everything to look forward to, who has been brutally killed. Her friends and family are traumatised. This is a devastating, harrowing killing of a beautiful young girl."

Ms Hill said Jeshma usually kept in constant contact with her parents and friends through text messaging or phone calls, but had not been heard of after she was last seen on the afternoon of May 16 by a staff member at Claremont High School in Kenton, north-west London.

Her body was discovered on Tuesday morning in dense undergrowth near a footpath in Greenford, west London, around 500 yards from her home.

Officers, who found her partially naked, said it is most likely the teenager was killed elsewhere and dumped at the scene.

Anybody with any information should call the incident room on 0208 358 0300 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.