A police community support officer who was murdered in a Kent village died from “significant head injuries”, police have said.
Officers say they are “working very hard” to find a motive for the killing of Julia James whose body was found in Akholt Wood earlier this week.
The 53-year-old was off-duty at the time and was reportedly last seen out walking her dog.
Kent Police Deputy Chief Constable Tim Smith said hundreds of officers were working on the investigation into her death but there were currently no “clear suspects”.
Dozens of forensics officers are working on the investigation
He told BBC Radio Kent: “We’ve got hundreds of officers working on that investigation while we try to establish exactly what happened to Julia, and more importantly who did this to Julia and why.”
He said he could not go into detail but there were “a number of different lines of inquiry”.
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Hunt for killer of PCSO Julia James
He added: “We’re working very hard to identify a motive and we are working very hard to identify who may have committed this.
“It is right to say we don’t have any clear suspects at this time.”
He said he is “not able to say either way” if the attack was sexually motivated, adding that they are “keeping a very open mind about the motive”.
He added: “Julia died from significant head injuries.”
The death was originally viewed as “suspicious” but Kent Police has since confirmed it is being treated as murder.
Mary Bossen, Ms James’s cousin, told Sky News the family was “devastated”.
Flowers have been left for Ms James in nearby Aylesham.