Friends and family of the Southfields teen dismembered in Brazil have paid tribute to the slain teen.

Cara Maria Burke left Wandsworth for Brazil in a bid by the troubled teen to escape Britain and start a new life.

Born and raised in Wandsworth, Cara Maria Burke, 17, had flown to Brazil three months ago with Mohamed D'Ali Carvalho Santos after meeting him in London.

Yesterday, Santos, 20, was charged with murder after Cara’s body parts were found dumped in the city of Goiania on Monday.

Santos, who is helping police locate the missing parts of her body, confessed to killing her before photographing her remains on his mobile phone, Brazilian police have said.

The alleged drug addict took specialist officers to the scene outside the city of Goiania in central Brazil to help them locate the rest of her body.

After stabbing Cara on Saturday, he left her body in the bathroom and went to a party, returning to dismember her the next day, police say.

Officers claim Cara was stabbed to death after she threatened to tell Santos’ parents that he was a drug dealer addicted to cocaine.

However, they later said it was believed he was angry about her refusal to keep to a commitment to marry him so he could obtain a visa for the UK.

It is thought that Cara's family identified her from England after seeing images of her body on television and recognising a tattoo of the word ‘Mum’.

A tribute group set up on Facebook has attracted hundreds of members with messages from southwest London saying they would miss the teen.

In Brazil, fire crews are searching for Cara's head and limbs, which Santos said he hid in a rural area about 20 miles outside Goiania.

Cara's brother, Michael, 32, told The Times she was due to return to London two weeks ago but was injured in a motorcycle crash on the way to the airport.

He said: "My mum had paid for the ticket home and we were looking forward to having her back. She was a wonderful sister."

The teenager is understood to have attended John Paul II Secondary School in Southfields.

In a statement, the Foreign Office said: "We can confirm the death of a British national in Goiania in Brazil, named Cara Maria Burke.

"Next of kin have been informed and we are providing consular assistance to the family. Brazilian police are investigating."