AS a major search continues for the body of a missing Teesside mother, an investigation is ongoing into the way police handled fears she was at risk of domestic violence.

For several weeks officers from Greater Manchester Police (GMP), along with North Yorkshire Police and the military have been scouring the countryside bordering major roads near Thirsk, North Yorkshire for the body of young mother Rania Alayed.

The 25-year-old, who had three children, moved from Teesside to Manchester in January. She was reported missing on July 2 but has not been seen since early June.

The man she was in a relationship with, Ahmed Khatib, 33 and his brother, Muhanned Mahmood Al Khatib, 38, have both been charged with her murder.

Police from GMP believe her body has been dumped in an area of countryside alongside the A19 or A168 between Dishforth and Ingleby Arncliffe in North Yorkshire.

They are appealing to anyone who may have seen a camper van parked in a lay-by on the A19 between 3am and 5am on June 8.

But while the hunt for her body continues, investigations are ongoing into how policies designed to protect her from domestic violence were implemented whilst she was alive.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) is investigating how GMP treated information that she was at risk of domestic violence, child protection issues and claims of honour-based violence.

It will look at the extent of the force’s involvement in a multi-agency risk assessment process prior to Ms Alayed’s disappearance and whether local and national policies were properly implemented.

Part of the investigation will also look at how the Manchester force responded to information passed on to them by Cleveland Police about Ms Alayed and her children, who lived in Norton near Stockton.

Ms Alayed’s family raised concerns with police and Ms Alayed also reported herself to be a victim of domestic violence.

A spokesman for the IPCC said: “We’re looking at Greater Manchester Police and the contact they had with Cleveland Police.

"In essence, what they did with that information and whether what they did followed national guidelines and procedures. Basically, did they do what they should have done?”