Murder probe launched after unidentified woman's body found in Liverpool's Stanley Park walled garden

Merseyside Police have opened a murder inquiry after a member of the public found the body of an unidentified woman, believed to be in her 70s, in the walled garden of Stanley Park, Liverpool, at around 5.25pm on Friday evening. Preliminary enquiries indicate she may have been lying there for several weeks before she was discovered. A post-mortem has been carried out, though the results are being withheld for investigative reasons, and police have not yet identified the woman or contacted her next of kin.

White, roughly 5ft 2in tall, slight in build, with strawberry blonde hair, she was wearing a cerise pink Nike T-shirt that officers regard as a distinctive item of clothing.

Detective Superintendent Rachel Wilson said police have examined missing persons reports across Merseyside and the wider area but have so far failed to identify the victim.

A mobile police station is to be set up inside Stanley Park on Sunday as officers appeal to dog walkers and park visitors who may have seen something suspicious in recent weeks.