Detectives fear a “funny, kind and beautiful” woman who disappeared in May and missed the birth of her first grandchild has been murdered.
Naheed Khan, 43, has no passport and has not used her bank account or mobile phone since she went missing eight months ago.
Detectives have spoken to 400 people, taken 130 witness statements, checked 100 CCTV items and made widespread house-to-house inquiries as part of their search.
Cleveland police said that while there was no tangible evidence to say she had been killed, the case was being treated as a suspected murder.
Her mother, Gazala Khan, told a news conference in Middlesbrough on Monday: “Naheed is a loved daughter, sister, mum, aunty and would have been a grandmother.
“As a child she was a highly intelligent girl with the potential for a very bright future. She excelled in swimming and loved to draw and sing.
“She has big brown eyes, amazing shiny hair and a dazzling smile. Naheed is loved beyond measure by us all.
“She is generous and kind. She would give you her last penny even if that left her with nothing. She is quietly spoken with a shy demeanour. People often think she is much younger than she is as she possesses a girl-like vulnerability.”
The last confirmed sighting of Khan, who was known as Nadine or Nad, was on 3 May in Thornaby, but she may have been in Middlesbrough town centre on subsequent days.
Khan, who is unemployed and has links in Stockton, Middlesbrough and Thornaby, is described as being of Asian appearance, about 5ft 6in (1.67m) and slim, with long, dark hair.
Her daughter, Amber, gave birth eight months ago and said it felt unreal for her mother not to be there. She said: “My mother is funny, kind and beautiful.
“On the weekends leading up to her disappearance we would binge-watch Netflix together, laugh our heads off, get takeaways and play with Cookie, our dog. We did everything together. She was there throughout all of my pregnancy until she went missing.
“She loved me very much and she would be besotted by her baby granddaughter. The most important person in my life has gone.”
Ch Supt Jon Green said: “Our inquiries have now led us to believe that, sadly, Naheed has either been murdered or come to harm at the hands of other people and we are now dealing with the case as suspected murder.”
