Police issued the wrong photo in appeals to find Owami Davies, the missing nurse who was working at Guy’s and St Thomas’.
Officers said an image that they said showed Ms Davies in Croydon on July 7 was published “in error”, adding that they removed it as soon as they realised.
A spokesperson for the police said: “We previously issued two still CCTV images of a woman in a shop which were titled Owami Davies shop 1/2. These images are not of Owami…
“The image was published in error and was removed as soon as this was realised. We have engaged proactively with the media throughout the investigation and have so far published nine appeals for information.
Ms Davies, a trainee nurse, left her home in Essex on July 4, and was next seen in Croydon three days later. Officers think she could be sleeping rough and travelling around “in a daze”.
Officers are still hopeful they can find Ms Davies, despite the length of time she has been missing.
Detective Chief Inspector Nigel Penney, who is leading the investigation, said: “The search to find Owami Davies continues and we are conducting searches, appeals and extensive CCTV enquiries in order to trace and find her. I would remind people that even though detectives from Specialist Crime are investigating, this remains a missing person enquiry.
“We are obviously very concerned for the welfare of Owami and it is possible she is in the local area and in need of help. We have reports of someone of Owami’s description being seen in the Croydon area in the days after she was last seen on CCTV and we sincerely hope to find her safe and well.”