A close friend of a mother-of-three whose remains were uncovered by a wildfire in London nearly seven years after she disappeared said “nothing could prepare” her for the discovery.

Rachel Roussel, 47, of Southampton, said learning the remains found in Feltham last month was Joanne Sheen, was “absolutely devastating”.

The remains of Joanne Sheen were found on August 12 in shrubland known as The Pits near Padstow Walk after the area was affected by a blaze during the summer of heatwaves.

Ms Sheen, 44, was reported missing by her family in 2020 after not being seen since she travelled from Fareham, Hampshire, heading to her home city of Southampton, on December 5 2019.

Five people were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to murder her in 2020, but were released with no further action.

Metropolitan Police detectives had launched a murder probe on the discovery of the remains, but Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary have taken over the investigation after the remains were identified as those of Ms Sheen.

A 56-year-old man from Southampton was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit murder on Thursday.

Of the police update, Ms Roussel told the Press Association: “It’s something that everybody’s heavily anticipated, and you kind of get yourself ready and prepare yourself for it.

“But nothing could prepare you for that, nothing at all.”

Ms Roussel said the years of uncertainty had been particularly difficult for Ms Sheen’s three daughters, two of whom she said have since become mothers themselves.

She said: “Her daughters are mums themselves now, so they’ve had their babies, and their mum wasn’t there for that.”

She added: “To have to go through something like this and to have to be going through it for so long, seven years, is just unfathomable.”

Ms Roussel, who met Ms Sheen in 2003, has launched a fundraiser on GoFundMe to help give her friend “a send-off that she so rightly deserves”.

She said: “Now we can focus on helping the girls, bringing her home, and set about laying her to rest finally, which is what they’ve wanted to do.”

The two became close while raising their children in Townhill Park in the Hampshire city, with Ms Roussel describing her friend as a “devoted mum” with a “wicked sense of humour”.

She said: “She was just lovely, she’d do anything for you, if you needed to nip to the shop, she’d stay and watch the children.

“If you needed to borrow some money, and all she had was £5 in her pocket until the next income support payment dropped, she’d lend it to you.

“She was just lovely, and a devoted mum, a completely devoted mum, every ounce of her energy went into those girls, it was amazing.

“She was just so much fun to be around, she had a personality that was a bit crazy, but you loved her for it.

“She had a wicked sense of humour, a fantastic laugh that I’ll never forget, she could make you belly laugh until your belly hurt.”

Ms Roussel recalled them celebrating birthdays, Halloween and New Year’s Eve together.

Explaining why she set up the fundraiser, Ms Roussel said she had found herself asking: “What can I do?”

She added: “She was my friend and I loved her very much and I wanted to do something to help the girls.”

Ms Roussel said she wanted Ms Sheen to be remembered above all as a mother and friend.

She added: “She was just an amazing human being who’d light up a room, I know that’s a very cliche thing to say about people but she really was.

“She was a big, big personality, an amazing friend, and she will be very sadly missed, very greatly missed by lots of people.”

Ms Sheen, 44, had not been seen since travelling from Fareham towards her home city of Southampton on December 5 2019.

A Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary spokesperson said more than 4,000 lines of inquiry have been raised, more than 300 statements taken, and detailed searches carried out at more than 10 addresses and on numerous vessels.

Detective Chief Inspector Toby Elcock said the identification of Ms Sheen’s remains is a “significant development” in a “long and complex investigation”.

Crimestoppers has reinstated a £20,000 reward for information.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman confirmed that the remains were found by a member of the public after the nearby land was affected by a recent wildfire.

The site is close to Bedfont Lakes Country Park.

Shrubbery appeared to have been burned at a woodland area close to where the police crime scene was in place last month and a large patch of the ground was charred.

An incident log on The London Fire Brigade’s website showed that four fire engines and about 25 firefighters had tackled a grass fire in the area on August 5.

About two hectares of shrubland were damaged in the blaze.

To donate to the fundraiser, visit: https://www.gofundme.com/f/in-loving-memory-of-joanne-little-jo-sheen