Murder hunt after burnt body find

Police and forensic teams have been searching the area

A murder probe is under way after the burnt remains of a woman's body were found by a dog walker in Hampshire.

The remains were found in a rural area off Wayfarer's Way at Dummer near Basingstoke, on Thursday morning.

Post-mortem tests showed the white woman was about 5ft 6in (1.7m), slender, in her late teens to early 30s and has never had a child.

The cause of death has not been released but police believe the body was brought to the area and then burnt.

We will continue to have a very strong police presence in the area Det Ch Insp Gary O'Flaherty

Police said they were treating the death as murder.

They have released pictures of a size 10, "wallpaper print", grey hooded jacket from New Look that the woman was wearing when she died.

The garment was sold nationwide in 601 New Look stores from October 2007, police said.

Det Ch Insp Gary O'Flaherty said: "This is a very distinctive jacket and we hope that by releasing this photograph it will jog someone's memory."

A team of more than 60 officers are working on the case, assisted by forensic teams and scenes of crime specialists.

Police said the dead woman was wearing a jacket from New Look

"The early indications are that the body was brought to the area and then set on fire," Det Ch Insp O'Flaherty continued.

"We are appealing for anyone who knows somebody who has gone missing who fits the description to get in touch with us as soon as possible.

"This is a quiet rural location, with a very low crime rate.

"There is nothing for locals to be concerned about. We will continue to have a very strong police presence in the area."

Earlier, police appealed to the local community, saying in a statement: "We know the area of the Wayfarer's Way is very popular with dog walkers, runners and poachers and I would ask anyone who saw anything suspicious on Wednesday or Thursday, no matter how trivial it may seem, to contact the investigation team."