Headless body found decomposing in field

A woman’s headless body was found by a dog walker in a field near a busy motorway, police revealed today.

The fully-clothed decomposing corpse is thought to have been lying in the field near Swindon, Wilts., for several months. The head was found nearby.

Tests are now underway to discover the body’s identity but police do not yet know who the woman is or how she died.

But officers do not think she was murdered – and believe the head was removed by ANIMALS.

The grim discovery was made by a dog walker at 11.45am last Thursday (11/11) by the Wichelstowe Canal close to junctions 15 and 16 of the M4, near Swindon.

Regular walker Susan Webb, 40, was told she could not walk across the area when she went out later that day.

She said: ”I was shocked when I found out what had happened – the poor person. I definitely would not expect it in an area like this.

”I just saw quite a lot of police cars and the helicopter was up first thing. They blocked it off and told people to keep away.

”I asked a policeman and was told they had found bones but thought that meant it was Roman bones. I didn’t want to look.”

Police cordoned off the area, which is a popular route for dog-walkers and bird watchers, for several days while forensic evidence was gathered.

A post-mortem examination by a Home Office pathologist last Friday proved inconclusive and more tests are now being carried out on the body,

A police spokesman said: ”We can confirm that shortly after 11.45am on Thursday, November 11, we received a report of human remains being discovered in a field close to the M4 motorway between junctions 15 and 16.

”Enquiries continued over the weekend as to the identity of the deceased and the circumstances surrounding this death but it is not being treated as suspicious.”

The spokesman said more details were likely to be released in the coming days after further analysis is carried out.