POLICE IN THE UK have launched a murder inquiry after a post-mortem examination found that Joanna Yeates was strangled.

Yeates, 25, went missing from her home in Bristol, England, a week before Christmas.

Her remains were discovered a few miles from her home on a grass verge next to a quarry and between two golf courses on Christmas morning, the Guardian reported.

Police believe she may have been dead for several days before the body was discovered.

The BBC reports that Yeates’ family has formally identified the body and police have confirmed that a murder investigation is underway. Yeates was last seen on 17 December, when she was filmed by a CCTV camera in a Tesco store.

She is thought to have returned home that evening after meeting colleagues for drinks at a pub. Police found her keys, coat, phone and purse in the flat. She was filmed buying a pizza at Tesco, but no trace of that pizza or its box has been found.

She was reported missing two days later by her boyfriend, after he returned to the home he shared with Yeates following a trip away. Police have confirmed he is a witness and not a suspect.

They have appealed for information from the public regarding Yeates’ death.