Man Convicted for Murder of Missing Woman Maureen Gitau
A Woolwich man has been found guilty of murdering 24-year-old Maureen Gitau, whose disappearance sparked a huge police hunt.
Mark Moodie Found Guilty Despite No Body
On 16 November at Woolwich Crown Court, Mark Moodie, 55, of Nightingale Place, Woolwich, was convicted of killing Maureen. Her body has never been recovered.
Detective Chief Inspector Kate Blackburn said: “My thoughts are with Maureen’s family, who have been cruelly denied the chance to lay a loved daughter, sister, niece, and cousin to rest. We have finally brought her killer to justice.
Mark Moodie murdered Maureen and hid her body. He never admitted guilt and lied repeatedly. The jury saw through his deceit and convicted him accordingly.
Our team investigated tirelessly, pouring over around 500 hours of CCTV. When we uncovered how Moodie disposed of Maureen, we launched one of the biggest waste searches the Met has ever seen. Despite this massive effort, no trace of Maureen was ever found, which remains a tragic regret for her family.”
Massive Police Search Fails to Find Maureen
- From 9 January to 23 February, 125 lorry loads of waste — nearly 2,750 tonnes — were combed through at a site in Essex.
- Up to 60 officers per day, including City of London Police teams, took part.
- Licensed search officers clocked almost 20,000 hours combing the rubbish.
Despite the colossal effort, Maureen’s body was never recovered.
The Crime and Investigation Revealed
Maureen was last seen on 5 December 2022 leaving her home in Deptford to meet Moodie. The pair had met while working as cleaners and kept in touch phone-wise.
Moodie was also a caretaker in Greenwich with access to the cleaners’ storeroom on Blackheath Hill. CCTV captured them meeting before Moodie led Maureen to the storeroom, where he murdered her.
He disposed of her body in a large wheelie bin, seen on CCTV pushing the bin around the basement while wearing surgical gloves. The bin was collected on 8 December and taken to a refuse site at Landmann Way SE14. Unfortunately, Maureen’s remains were incinerated before officers could intervene.
Maureen was reported missing on 10 December. Police used phone records and CCTV to trace her last movements and questioned Moodie twice in December, when it became clear he was lying.
Once investigators pieced together the evidence, Moodie was arrested and charged with Maureen’s murder. He will be sentenced at a later date.
