Police try to identify murder victim

Police are searching for clues to the woman's identity

A murder inquiry is under way after the body of an unidentified woman was found near a petrol station.

A post-mortem examination has revealed she died of severe head injuries.

The body was found by the owner of the garage in Derby next to a service road. It is believed it may have been lying undiscovered for up to 12 hours.

Police say they have no idea who the woman was and they are urgently trying to identify her.

Detectives are going through missing-person files and are urging people to report any missing friends or relatives who match the description.

Detailed searches have been made of the area

The dead woman is described as white, 5ft 6ins, aged between 20 and 40 with brown collar-length hair.

Sergeant Pete Szabo of Derbyshire police said: "She's got no obvious marks or scars, nothing that would suggest any previous medical operations or anything like that.

"However, she does seem to have had some professional dental work at some stage."

Motorists questioned

Police are now contacting dentists who might recognise the woman from their records.

The body was found on Tuesday, but the results of the post-mortem examination were not revealed until Wednesday.

Officers stopped and questioned motorists driving past the garage on Wednesday morning in the hope that someone had seen something suspicious on previous journeys.

They are continuing to carry out detailed searches at the filling station.