Police have launched a murder investigation after the body of a 16-year-old girl was discovered in the back seat of a car that had been in a crash.
The remains of Megan Bannister were discovered following a collision between a car and a motorbike, but police do not believe her injuries to be consistent with those from a vehicle accident.
An initial post-mortem proved inconclusive and further tests are being carried out to determine how she died.
Two men from Leicester, aged 27 and 28, have been arrested on suspicion of murder and are currently being held in custody.
Megan was found on the backseat of a black Vauxhall Astra, which was involved in a collision with a motorcycle in Enderby, Leicester, at 11.45am on Sunday.
In a statement her family said: “Megan was our beautiful, talented and loving daughter and sister, and our hearts have been utterly broken by her death.
“The thought of life without Megan is impossible to imagine and we cannot adequately express in words the sense of numbness and overwhelming grief we feel at her loss.
“She was bright, clever, and a responsible person who loved her family and her many friends.
“She had a strong self-will and had set her heart on training to becoming a midwife. Knowing how confident and determined she was, we have no doubt she would have realised that dream.
“As a family, we are doing our best to support each other at this harrowing time, and would respectfully ask that we are left alone to grieve in private without intrusion.”