Grandmother of girl found on royal estate: Please find her killer

LONDON — The grandmother of a girl discovered dead on the queen’s estate on New Year’s Day issued a tribute to her 17-year-old granddaughter and appealed to the public for help finding her killer.

“Our hearts have been broken in the way Alisa was taken from us and we hope no other family has to suffer as we have,” the grandmother, who did not wish to be named, said in a statement. “Please can you help us to find out what happened to Alisa, and who is responsible for her murder. She was just little, she never deserved this.”

The discovery of Dmitrijeva’s body by a dog walker near Sandringham sparked an ongoing murder investigation. The queen, who traditionally spends the Christmas and New Year’s holidays at Sandringham, was in residence at the time of the discovery, and police have kept her closely informed of the latest developments.

After several rounds of DNA tests, police confirmed the identity of the body on Jan. 8. Detectives are now searching for Dmitrijeva’s cell phone, as well as the green Lexus that she was last seen in on Aug. 31.

Police told TODAY.com that they plan to release new information about the investigation in the next day or so.

Cambridgeshire Constabulary

Alisa Dmitrijeva, 17, was reported missing by a relative on Sept. 6.

They have appealed to the local Latvian, Lithuanian and Russian communities for anyone with information to come forward, and have set up interpreters on their information hotlines. They are also interested in speaking with anyone who was involved in organizing any kind of function in the Sandringham area around the time she disappeared. The department has received more than 70 calls and messages since confirming Dmitrijeva’s identity.

Dmitreijeva came to the U.K. from Latvia in 2009, and was reported missing by her family in September, just after finishing part of her studies. Police believe she was killed not long after her disappearance although they have not confirmed the exact cause of death.