'Boyfriend' of woman whose body was found in a suitcase at a London hostel 'has gone missing' as tributes are paid to 'lovely girl'

A man believed to be the boyfriend of a 'lovely girl' whose body was found stuffed inside a suitcase at a London hostel has 'gone missing', residents claim.

A painter visiting the hostel opened the suitcase to find the 'body of a female,' above a salon in The Crescent at around 3pm yesterday.

His grim discovery followed reports of a 'really foul smelling odour,' coming from a nearby property around two weeks ago. 

The woman - whose name has not yet been released - has been described as 'very nice' and 'friendly' by other residents who called her 'good person'. 

A resident who gave her name as Lisa claimed the woman's boyfriend has gone missing following the incident.

A man believed to be the boyfriend of a 'lovely girl' whose body was found stuffed inside a suitcase at a London hostel has 'gone missing', residents claim. Pictured: Police at the scene today

Forensic crews were called out to Southall on Friday night after local police investigating the 'unexplained death,' of a person found in a flat above a parade of shops 

The woman - whose name has not yet been released - has been described as 'very nice' and 'friendly' by other residents who called her 'good person'. Pictured: Forensic officers at the scene last night

'She lived in the floor up at the top. We were told by one of the other Polish guys that she'd gone to Victoria coach station,' she said.

'No one could get hold of her but now we know why.

'Her boyfriend has gone missing, because she had someone living in the room with her. We don't know where he is.

'She was a lovely girl, she kept herself to herself.'

Another female resident, who wanted to remain anonymous, said: 'They found a dead woman's body from a couple of weeks ago stuffed in a suitcase.

'The guy who had the room has left and hasn't come back.'

Cops are currently treating the death as 'unexplained.'

A painter visiting the hostel had opened the suitcase to find the 'body of a female,' above a salon in The Crescent at around 3pm yesterday. Pictured: Police at the scene today

Another resident, Martin, who did not want to give his last name, claimed he had known the woman for 'about five years' when he lived in Acton.

'We had similar friends. Nice girl, very nice and friendly,' he said. 'A very good person.'

A Met spokesman declined to comment on the circumstances.

No arrests have been made and officers remain at the scene.

Police and forensic crews were parked outside a safe deposit building in Southall on Friday night, amid reports a dead body had been discovered in a suitcase

Forensic teams were seen entering hostels above the parade of shops. Business owners were not aware of who was staying at the property

One local said the body of a woman had been found in a suitcase at a flat near Beaconsfield Road, Southall

Patrol cars and forensic crews' vans were parked up outside a safe deposit firm on nearby Beaconsfield Road last night. 

Forensics were seen entering rooms above a salon and an immigration advice centre.

Shabana Hair and Beauty Salon's owner yesterday confirmed officers had visited the salon at around 6pm to ask about CCTV coverage.  

Images from March 2018 show a 'Pay and Sleep Hostel' service was operating above the shops, but a banner promoting the service has since been removed. 

The name of the business has not been confirmed.

A listing for a Pay and Sleep hostel remains online, with businesses on The Crescent saying a service does still run above the shopping parade but the name of the business has not been confirmed

Businesses underneath confirmed a hostel service is still operating on the street, with visitors regularly coming and going. 

A listing for a Pay and Sleep hostel remains online in The Crescent. 

A spokesman from Met Police said last night: 'Officers are investigating following an unexplained death in Southall.

'Police were called at 2.53pm on Friday to an address in The Crescent, Southall, after a person was found deceased.

'Enquiries to identify the deceased are ongoing. The death is currently being treated as unexplained.

'Officers are not discussing the circumstances of the discovery any further at this stage. There have been no arrests.'

The death has not been passed to murder detectives and remains under the investigation of local police in the borough of Ealing. 

Business owners along a parade of shops say they were visited by officers looking for CCTV on Friday evening, following the discovery at around 3pm. Forensic crews remain at the scene 

Met Police officers in Ealing are currently handling the investigation, but Scotland Yard said it is 'not discussing the circumstances of the discovery any further at this stage'

The body was discovered shortly before 3pm on Friday afternoon, with locals claiming it was found by a painter visiting the flat