Weeks after a 19-year-old college student’s disappearance, police in the U.K. announced that officers may have found her body the same day she was last seen, sparking outrage.
Samaria Ayanle, a freshman at the School of Oriental and African Studies University of London, was last captured on the security cameras near campus housing on Feb. 22.
However, the university notified law enforcement that Ayanle was missing on Friday, March 8, prompting an investigation, the Evening Standard reported. Metropolitan Police asked the public to contact them with any information.
Her friends created an Instagram page called “Have You Seen Samaria?” to raise awareness. They claimed that they contacted the university four days prior but were met with a “standoff attitude” from employees, according to the Daily Mail.
On Wednesday, March 13, police said they believe a body that was recovered from the River Thames last month may be Ayanle. A citizen spotted her body near Putney Bridge at about 8 a.m. the same day she vanished.
“Police checked recent missing persons reports but the body did not match the description of any other persons reported missing around that time,” police told the Evening Standard in a statement. “The body was sent to the Coroner to conduct further checks. Meanwhile details were uploaded onto the UK Missing Persons database in the hopes the person might be identified.”
According to the BBC, police were able to link the two cases after they watched bodycam footage, but formal identification is underway. Ayanle’s death is considered “unexplained” until officials can gather more information from their investigation.
Social media users criticized the university and the police’s response and pointed out how long it took to get answers in this case.
“Black people are 4x times more likely to be reported as missing and when they are, their cases are not treated with the same level of care or consideration by authorities,” Black Lives Matter UK wrote on X. “The news of Samaria Ayanle’s death is a tragic reminder of this. May she rest in peace.”
Another person said: “Can’t stop and won’t stop thinking about Samaria Ayanle tonight. so much more should have been done. Time and time again, it’s proven that the lives of women, ESPECIALLY BLACK WOMEN, are treated like they are discardable.”
SOAS University of London released a statement offering condolences to Ayanle’s loved ones.
“We are deeply saddened to hear that police have discovered a body which is believed to be that of Samaria Ayanle, who was a first-year student at SOAS University of London, studying for a BA in Japanese and the History of Art,” the statement said, adding: “We know that this news will be felt by many and we will be doing everything we can to support friends, family and the wider student and staff community.”
In an update on Thursday, the university responded to the community, saying that the moment they learned about Ayanle, they took action by attempting to contact her and her family and asking for “checks to be made in her halls of residence.”
The news of the body’s discovery has led to speculation about a serial killer targeting Black people in London.
