Police launch a murder investigation after a woman was found dead by a dog walker on a dirt road

West Mercia Police have confirmed they are treating the death of a woman as homicide after a dog walker found her body in Hopwood, Worcestershire, on Friday morning

A murder investigation has been launched after a woman was found dead on a country lane near the Birmingham-Worcestershire border.

The discovery in Wast Hills Lane, Hopwood, was made by a dog walker around 6am on Friday.

A cordon remains in place tonight and the road is closed while forensic investigators work at the scene.

West Mercia Police said the death was initially considered “unexplained”, reports reported BirminghamLive.

But investigators now believe the death is suspicious and a murder investigation has been launched.

No identification was found on the body, but officers believe they have determined who she is and are contacting her family.

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Detective Chief Inspector Gerry Smith said: “At this point it is far too early to speculate as to what happened but it is important to say that we do not believe there is any risk to the local or wider community.

“I don’t underestimate the impact something like this will have on the local community, so expect to see additional officers in the area as our investigation continues.

“The woman did not have any ID with her and we have conducted an urgent investigation to find out who she is.

“We now believe we have identified her and are working quickly to contact her family.

“This is news no family wants or should ever hear and we will ensure it is being supported by specially trained officials.

“We were also incredibly grateful for the community support so far today.

“We are following a number of investigative lines, but to assist in our investigations we are anxious to hear from anyone who was in or traveling through the area in the early hours of the morning and has not yet spoken to our officers.

“If you think you have information that our investigative team may find useful, you can submit it through the Police’s Public Reporting Office for Major Incidents, also known as MIPP.

“This is a direct link to the detectives investigating the murder.

“We will need to keep the road closed for some time but we will provide an update when it is open and provide more information as our investigation progresses.”

Information can be provided to the West Mercia MIPP here or by calling 101 and quoting incident 070i of May 27th.

Alternatively, reports to Crimestoppers can also be made anonymously at crimestoppers-uk.org or on 0800 555 111.