Murder inquiry after body found

The murder scene was sealed off

A murder investigation is under way after a woman's body was found in undergrowth on a farm in Essex.

A man who had been passing on a bicycle found the body at Aldborough Hatch Farm, Oaks Lane, Hainault, at around 1315 BST on Tuesday.

The woman, who is believed to have been in her late 20s, was found naked apart from her socks and an item of clothing wrapped around her neck, where she had slash wounds.

Air ambulance attended and the woman was pronounced dead at the scene.

Horrible attack

The area has been cordoned off while scenes of crime officers investigate.

Mrs Amanda Schlotte, 49, who runs the 100-acre farm with her husband, said she had driven past the scene with her 17-year-old daughter just hours before.

"It was about lunch time when we had a knock on the door by a man in his 20s who told us he had found the body.

"I then rang the police. He was riding back from work on his bike when he saw the body. It's very shocking news."

Detective Chief Inspector Vic Rae of the Serious Crime Group East said: "Clearly this is a horrible attack on a defenceless woman.

"We are appealing to anyone who may have seen anything to contact police."