Perton layby murder: Police still appealing for help five months after body found

The body of Jomaa Jerrare was discovered by police officers on Bridgnorth Road, near Perton, in the early hours of August 9 last year.

The force found the 52-year-old, from Wolverhampton, after being alerted to something suspicious by a passing member of the public.

It led to a 56-year-old from Bilston, and a 75-year-old from Kingstanding, being questioned before being released under investigation.

Meanwhile a third suspect, the first to be arrested, was released facing no further action after accounting for why he had been near the scene.

Nobody has been charged over the murder of Ms Jerrare as detectives continue to appeal to the public for help in solving the grisly crime.

A spokeswoman for Staffordshire Police said: “Detectives are continuing to investigate the death of Jomaa Jerrare and the investigation is ongoing.

“Anyone with any information should message Staffordshire Police on Facebook or Twitter quoting incident number 42 of August 9, call 101 or alternatively contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.”

Detectives in the case said the mother-of-one, from Heath Town, had not been seen by her family for six weeks prior to her death – but this was not unusual, and her life involved substance abuse and was “chaotic”.

Detective Superintendent Tom Chisholm said at the time he was “reasonably confident” Ms Jerrare was killed elsewhere and then taken to the lay-by, with investigators still trying to piece together a timeline.

“She would have been brought to the scene and this is where she would have been set alight, so we feel this is a deposition site,” he told the Express & Star as the initial appeal was launched.

He added: “Clearly somebody knows what went on, somebody will have brought some accelerant probably with them to do that. There will certainly be a vehicle involved as you can see the remoteness of the location so there is that element where we need to understand why somebody would bring her here and do that to her.

“It is a horrendous case and we’re really, really keen for the public to support us.”

Meanwhile there was an outpouring of shock, sadness and anger from Ms Jerrare’s neighbours at the high-rise block where she lived, with one neighbour describing her as nice and quiet person who kept to herself.

The neighbour said: “I knew her just as a neighbour as we would pass each other in the hallways, but she seemed nice and kept herself to herself, with good and bad points like everyone else.

“It’s just so awful and I’m so angry that something like this could happen to anyone.”

Another neighbour, who didn’t want to give her name, said: “I’m really shocked about this as I had seen her in passing and spoken to her once or twice.

“It’s more shocking because it’s someone living not far from you and you wonder what happened.”

Shop-owners on Wolverhampton Road were left shocked at the news of Ms Jerrare’s death, with a few remembering her walking past their shops.

One shop owner on Wolverhampton Road, who didn’t want to give his name, said: “It’s so horrible to hear about this as I remember her walking past and giving her a wave.”