THE mother of a murdered Kent teenager has y made an emotional plea urging anyone who knows who strangled her daughter to contact detectives immediately.

Helen Edmonds spoke at a press conference held as police investigating the killing of her daughter, Terry, renewed their appeal to the public for help in catching the killer.

Terry’s body was found concealed inside a dark green suitcase on April 29 by a Kent Police search team near the entrance to Morrisons’ supermarket car park in Vale Avenue, Tunbridge Wells. She had been strangled and sexually assaulted.

Describing her daughter’s death as "horrific", Mrs Edmonds went on: "My worst fears came true when I heard that Terry’s body had been found. It is every mother’s worst nightmare. It changed our family’s life forever."

Paying tribute to Terry, she stressed: "I will never get over losing my beautiful daughter. She was young and clever and had her whole life in front of her. She had lots she wanted to do."

"I don’t understand how someone could do this to her. Someone must know who did this.

"Someone must have a son or a husband or a partner or even a daughter who knows something or who knows someone who has been behaving differently since Terry went missing on Easter Monday.

"If you know anything about what happened to Terry, I beg you, please tell the police."

She added that although Terry had been living away from home she regularly kept in touch and this is how Mrs Edmonds quickly realised she had gone missing.

Terry’s body was found concealed inside a dark green suitcase on April 29 by a Kent Police search team near the entrance to Morrisons’ supermarket car park in Vale Avenue, Tunbridge Wells. She had been strangled and sexually assaulted.

Terry was last seen at around 6.20pm on Easter Monday near Tunbridge Wells railway station. It is thought she had arrived there on a train from Tonbridge, where she had been seen in the High Street at 6pm that evening.

Chief Superintendent Mark Salisbury, the area commander for West Kent, said: "Terry’s mother has shown great courage after learning of her daughter’s murder and in coming forward to make this appeal. If you have information about Terry’s death please contact us immediately on the incident room number or phone CrimeStoppers.’

Kent Police is following a number of inquiries after a recent appeal to the public asking for information about the suitcase used to hide Terry’s body.

Ch Supt Salisbury added: "The incident room has received a number of calls with information after we asked if anyone had seen the suitcase in the area around the station or close by where it was eventually found.

"It could have been in various places around the town centre and may have been left on rough ground or in open spaces," continued Ch Supt Salisbury.

About 50 officers and staff continue to work on the investigative team, based at police headquarters at Maidstone.

So far three men have been arrested and released in the hunt for Terry’s murderer. One of the men, a 21 year old, remains on police bail.

The incident room hotline number is 01622 654850. Alternatively, people can contact Kent CrimeStoppers on 0800 555111. Calls to this number are free and you do not have to give your name.