Alisa Dmitrijeva whose body was found in woodland at Sandringham on New Year's Day

The detective leading the inquiry into the murder of a student whose remains were found on the Queen’s Royal Estate in Norfolk last night issued an urgent plea to members of the Eastern European community for information about her last movements.

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Detectives sealed off a remote copse near the Royal Stud after human remains were found by a dog walker on New Year’s Day.

DNA taken from the body confirmed it was that of Latvian-born Alisa Dmitrijeva, 17, who was reported missing from her home in Wisbech on September 6.

Following unsuccessful tests to obtain a full DNA profile, identification was made by comparing detail from her palm with records held, which have been further verified by DNA from her femur.

Miss Dmitrijeva, who was due to enrol on a beautician course at the College of West Anglia on September 1, was last seen in King’s Lynn on August 31.

Police yesterday urged anyone who had seen her in the Wisbech and King’s Lynn area between noon on Tuesday, August 30 2011 and midnight on Tuesday, September 6 2011 to get in touch with them, particularly those people within the Latvian, Lithuanian and Russian communities.

Detective Chief Inspector Jes Fry, senior investigating officer with the Norfolk and Suffolk Major Investigation Team, said people in those Eastern European communities could hold vital information which may help progress the inquiry.

He said: “She did associate with people within her own community. It’s more likely that, a) they would recognise her and would’ve seen her and b) she would’ve been with someone within that community during her last movements and therefore they may be able to give us more detail around where she was and who she was with.

“We have access to a language line and interpreters who can help anyone calling in with information to Norfolk Constabulary.”

Det Chf Insp Fry said police would be working with local councils, employers, organisations and multi-ethnic groups to get to these communities, but added they would be looking to utilise the media as well.

He said: “There is a language barrier and we will be going through the normal channels but at the same time we need to target areas they may shop to encourage people to come forward and may ask some of the papers to print something in Russian or Latvian to try and encourage that.”

Miss Dmitrijeva’s remains were found just over a mile from Sandringham House, where the Queen, Duke of Edinburgh and other members of the Royal family spent Christmas.

Det Chf Insp Fry said: “We are also still keen to speak to anyone who was working in the Anmer area, specifically between August 30 and September 6, and anyone who held or was involved in organising any kind of function at Sandringham or neighbouring parishes during that time.”

Although the last confirmed sighting of Miss Dmitrijeva was on August 31 at 12.15am police have received reports of a further sighting, in King’s Lynn, at 12.45am the same day.

Det Chf Insp Fry said he did not want to “close people’s minds” to focusing just on the last sighting on August 31 which is why an eight-day time frame had been identified.

He said: “We’re asking if anyone has any information about her after August 31 up until September 6. That’s based around other intelligence that’s come into the inquiry that we’ve shared with Cambridgeshire.”

Police have revealed they are also keen to trace Miss Dimitrijeva’s mobile phone which has not been found but which could hold key evidence about her whereabouts at the time of her death.

The teenager, who was born in Latvia in May 1994 and moved to the UK with her family in 2009, was said to enjoy a party lifestyle but police say there is no evidence to support rumours she might have been involved in the sex industry.

Det Chf Insp Fry said: “I know there’s been quite a lot of speculation about her being involved in the sex industry but there’s no intelligence that I’m aware of that directly links her to that. When she was a missing person there was concern she might have got embroiled into that kind of lifestyle but there’s no evidence to show she was involved in that and it could have a negative impact on people wishing to contact the police.”

He said officers from Norfolk had been working closely with those from Cambridgeshire police which had investigated the original missing persons investigation.

Det Chf Insp Fry said the Norfolk force was continuing to work “very closely” with Cambridge police and added the inquiries they had already carried out as a result of the missing persons investigation would “assist” the murder probe.

He said: “It assists because there’s a wealth of information that’s already been gathered. There’s some that will need to be revisited based on the knowledge we now have but I would certainly say it as an assistance.”

Cambridgeshire detectives said Miss Dmitrijeva, who shared a rented house in Wisbech with her grandmother Lidija Nesterova, her father Olegs, 40, and her 10-year-old sister, had links in Lincolnshire and Peterborough and that is was not unusual for her to stay away from home for several days, but she had always previously stayed in touch with her family.

Detectives in Cambridge put out an appeal for information regarding the movements of a P-registered green Lexus car in connection with her disappearance.

Two men in the car, believed to be associates of Miss Dmitrijeva, have already been interviewed by Cambridgeshire police but could yet be spoken to by Norfolk police.

Police have also received reports Miss Dmitrijeva had a boyfriend and would be interested in tracing and speaking to that person.

<t> Anyone with any information relating to the incident should contact the Joint Norfolk and Suffolk Major Investigation Team at Norfolk Constabulary on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.