Pictured: Woman, 28, found dead in park near community centre in Greenwich

The father of a ‘brilliant’ Cambridge-educated primary school teacher found murdered in a park full of joggers and dog walkers has been left a ‘broken man’ as he went door-to-door and told neighbours: ‘My daughter has been killed’.

Police believe a stranger may have targeted Sabina Nessa, 28, before dumping her body in a meadow, which lay undiscovered in Cator Park, south-east London, for almost 24 hours.  

Officers were called at 5.32pm on Saturday after the teacher’s body was found near the OneSpace community centre, a popular area with families and dog walkers in Kidbrooke. 

A man in his forties was arrested on suspicion of murder a few hours after her body was found by a dog walker. But yesterday he was released under investigation pending further inquiries. Scotland Yard says that to reassure worried Londoners its officers will be patrolling the crime scene and open spaces across the boroughs of Lewisham and Greenwich.

MailOnline can reveal that on Friday night there will be a vigil close to where she was found amid ongoing tensions in the city over the safety of women after the abduction and murder of Sarah Everard by Met Police officer Wayne Couzens earlier this year. Flowers have been laid close to the crime scene today, where forensics officers are looking through long grass and carrying out finger tip searches.  

A woman looking for a missing gold necklace was beckoned over by the dog walker who found the teacher and then she called the police, it has emerged.

Miss Nessa, one of four sisters, lived in London and taught in Catford but returned to her family home in Sandy, Bedfordshire, regularly. Her father, a chef, is understood to have visited neighbours to tell them the tragic news. 

One told the Evening Standard: ‘He looked in total shock, like a broken man… He said “my daughter has been killed”. He looked terrible as if the blood had been drained from him. We have seen her grow up. She lived in London but regularly came back. They are a close family.’

Another said: ‘A lot of family and friends have been going in and out of their house and our hearts go out to them. The family are lovely.’ 

Annie Gibbs posted on Twitter: ‘As a community of residents in Kidbrooke Village we wish to stand in solidarity against violence & acknowledge Sabina Nessa life with respect. If you are local & wish to join us this Friday evening from 7pm in Peglar Square pls do so. More info will be shared tomorrow.’ 

Last night, detectives appealed for witnesses who may have seen her killer loitering or acting suspiciously in the park area at around 8.30pm on Friday, September 17, when they believe she was murdered.  Officers said they were keeping an open mind about the murder and looking at all possible lines of inquiry, including that she was snatched and murdered by a stranger.

The Year 1 teacher had worked for just over a year at Rushey Green Primary School, three miles away in Catford. Before landing her first teaching job, she studied sociology at Greenwich University in south-east London and went on to complete a teaching postgraduate degree at the University of Bedfordshire. Miss Nessa also had a qualification from Cambridge to teach English as a foreign language.

Headteacher at her Lewisham school, Lisa Williams, said today: ‘We are devastated by Sabina’s tragic death. She was a brilliant teacher; she was kind, caring and absolutely dedicated to her pupils. 

‘She had so much life ahead of her and so much more to give and her loss is desperately sad. As a school we are supporting each other through this very difficult time, and we will be providing specialist support to those who need it.’

George Williams, 41, who has operated his mobile fish and chip van Billingsgate Wrap regularly from the new Kidbrooke Village apartment complex over the last three years, said: ‘This is absolutely shocking.

‘If it is a random attack by a stranger then it is extremely worrying for everyone who lives around here.

‘I hope the police can catch whoever committed this terrible crime.

‘The park is very open and exposed but is usually pretty busy with joggers and walkers. Surely someone must have saw something.’

Janet Daby, Labour MP for Lewisham East, said: ‘This is devastating news. My thoughts and condolences are with Sabina Nessa’s family, and all the pupils and teachers who knew her at Rushey Green School. Yet another woman’s life lost simply for walking in a public space.’

London’s Victims Commissioner Claire Waxman said Ms Nessa’s death emphasises why ‘tackling violence against women and girls must be everyone’s priority’.

She posted on Twitter: ‘My thoughts are with Sabina Nessa’s loved ones & friends. This awful news highlights again why tackling £VAWG [violence against women and girls] must be everyone’s priority.’

Women’s Equality Party leader Mandu Reid posted on Twitter: ‘Another woman murdered in a senseless act of brutal violence. Sabina Nessa: say her name.

‘She lived, worked and was murdered within a short radius of where I live in Lewisham. This could’ve been me or my sister. Enough Is Enough. We will honour her life.’

Scotland Yard said last night that officers were looking at a ‘number of crime scenes’ in connection with the death. 

A post-mortem examination carried out at Greenwich Mortuary yesterday was inconclusive. Further tests on the body will now be carried out.

Detectives said her family had been informed of the murder. Last night, a relative at the family’s semi-detached home in Sandy, Bedfordshire, said they were too upset to talk about it.

Detective Chief Inspector Joe Garrity, from the Specialist Crime Command, added: ‘Our initial enquiries suggest this attack happened at around 8.30pm on Friday, September 17 – a time when the park was likely being used by many people from dog walkers to joggers.

‘Sabina was found near the OneSpace community centre, a facility used by lots of people, and we would ask anyone who was in or around the area and who may have any information to come forward.

‘Did you see someone loitering or acting suspiciously? Or, did you see someone leaving the area in a hurry, perhaps running away? If you have any information, it is vital you tell us.

‘We are working around the clock to deliver justice for the family of this young woman, and we need your help to do it.’

Chief Superintendent Trevor Lawry, responsible for local policing in Greenwich, said: ‘Our thoughts are first and foremost with Sabina’s family and friends, and we will continue to provide our support.’

He added: ‘We know this incident will be worrying to those who live and work in the community. Over the next few days they can expect to see extra high-visibility patrols.’