DNA results have confirmed that the charred remains of a woman found in New Hanover in January are that of Durban escort Siam Lee‚ police said on Wednesday.

Police spokeswoman Colonel Thembeka Mbhele said that comparative samples obtained from her mother Carmen had positively matched those of the body recovered by the police.

“The results were released on Tuesday and her mortal remains have been released to her family‚” she said.

Lee‚ who worked as an escort to support her mother‚ was last seen on January 4 outside a Durban North house that operates as a brothel. The search for her spanned KwaZulu-Natal – and finally came to an end when the charred remains of a woman were found in a sugarcane field in New Hanover.

The body was later identified as the 20-year-old by her relatives.

The Sunday Times reported that Siam Lee had reached out to an organisation that assists sex workers to plead for help in the weeks before her murder. She detailed her despair of having to lead a double life while moving from one brothel to another‚ all the while maintaining a façade for her family and friends.

The youngster described the circumstances that had led her from the corridors of Crawford College to the dimly lit rooms of a massage parlour‚ and said her service of giving "sensual massages" had helped keep a roof over her head and supported her mother when she was not able to work as an escort.

Her alleged killer remains in custody after he was arrested last month. He is expected to apply for bail in the Durban Regional Court next week. He cannot be named because he is accused of raping an as-yet-unidentified woman.