COPS have revealed the last sighting of a 70-year-old woman who vanished six months ago.

Norma Girolami's communication stopped shortly after she returned home to Highgate, London, following a day trip to Leigh-on-Sea in Essex on August 19, 2021.

Cops also released a picture of a grey Kia Niro with a notable "vehicle warning sign" on the door that they believe could be connected to her disappearance.

Due to a lack of "proof of life" and because of the length of time missing, cops are treating her disappearance as murder.

Cops fear Norma – who lived alone, had no children and was not married – could have been targeted by a fraudster who conned her through a fake romance, The Times reports.

A loan of £35,000 was taken out by Norma after she went missing – with the funds withdrawn from her bank account not long after.

Serkan Kaygusuz, 41, appeared in court in October charged with murder and two counts of theft.

He did not indicate pleas to any of the charges and spoke only to confirm his name, date of birth and address when asked by the court clerk.

Most read in The Sun

Norma took a train from Barking to Leigh-on-Sea on August 19 – before returning home to affluent Highgate later that day.

Her communication stopped that same evening – and she was reported missing on September 20.

Norma's cousin Pia Graham told of the family's tough Christmas without her.

Pia said in a statement: "We miss you so much Norma.

"Christmas was such a hard time for us because we know it was a time you loved, seeing us and being around family.

"Going to St Joseph’s for Christmas Mass. Helping those less fortunate than you.

"I would ask everyone to look closely at these pictures and think about whether you recognise Norma.

"Did you see her last summer? If you think you might have information – even if you aren’t completely sure it was her or don’t remember exact dates – please contact the police.

"No piece of information is too small."

MURDER PROBE

Norma vanished without saying anything to her loved ones, leaving food in the fridge and no signs of having planned to leave in the summer of 2021.

Her friends received messages from Norma not long after, purporting that she was on holiday.

Loved ones confirmed she had taken trips to Greece and Egypt recently – and was due a trip to Fanna, Italy, to scatter her Italian father's ashes, it is understood.

Local hairdresser Richard – who works in a salon she visited once a week – said Norma was "no fool".

He added: "She wasn’t stupid. She wasn’t naive. She was such a lovely woman — really genuinely nice.

“She was very friendly but she wasn’t a pushover — not that type at all.”

Police have launched a "no body" murder probe into missing Norma, but a motive has not been revealed.

Met Police Detective Chief Inspector Jo Sidaway said: "Norma’s friends and family faced their first Christmas without her and have had to start a new year still not knowing exactly what has happened.

"We are working tirelessly to get them the answers they so desperately need.

"Norma’s normal activities and communication stopped on the evening of 19 August and the fact that she has been missing for so long, and that all proof of life has been negative, means we are treating this as a murder investigation.

"We are urging anyone who knew Norma or regularly saw her to come forward and speak to us, whether it be a neighbour or someone who works at a shop that she visited frequently.

"Any information about her daily routine could prove vital to our investigation.

"We are also asking everyone to look at the image of the grey Kia Niro and to think about whether they saw it between Thursday, 19 August and Friday, 1 October 2021 in the Highgate and Finchley areas of north London.

"The car could have also been using a vehicle warning sign in one of the doors which may have made it stand out more than others. Perhaps you saw it parked on your road or behaving suspiciously in the area.

"Please contact us with any information – it will be treated in confidence and if you don’t feel comfortable speaking to us then you can call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111."

Source: Read Full Article