Decaying Body Found Decapitated In Woods Identified As Missing Middle-Aged Asian Woman

The Salcombe community is still reeling following the grim discovery of a headless corpse dumped in nearby woodlands on Sunday. The body was later positively identified to belong to an Asian female resident who went missing two weeks ago.

The Metropolitan Police said that Mee Kuen Chong, 67, of Wembley, London, was known as Deborah by her neighbors. The Malaysian native reportedly disappeared from her home on June 11, the Independent reported. She had been living in Wembley since 2004, according to immigration documents.

Responding emergency personnel, which included police, fire and rescue, and ambulance officers, arrived on a Salcombe wooded area in Devon near North Sands Cove at about 5 p.m. on Sunday, isolating Bennett Road and Cliff Road following the grim find. Woodlands in the area are a popular spot for trekkers and dog walkers.

Police suspect that the woman's body had been dumped in the bushland for some days. They assessed the corpse to be in the early stages of decay. Two days later, a huge emergency services presence remained in the town of Salcombe, according to Somerset Live.

The circumstances around Chong’s brutal death are deemed to be suspicious by police as they investigate and track her last movements before her death. The woman's disappearance had sparked a wide appeal for information last month.

A Devon and Cornwall Police spokesman said on Wednesday that authorities are keen to gather details about Chong's whereabouts and activities between June 10, Thursday, and June 27, Sunday, leading to the discovery of her rotting corpse.

Police have vowed to extensively search the woodlands of Salcombe in hopes of retrieving evidence concerning Chong's appalling death. Multiple inquiries will unfold in Salcombe, with law enforcement warning the community of a high level of police activity over the coming days, the Evening Standard noted.

“Police would like to reassure the public that while this discovery may cause some concerns in the community, the heightened police presence is to investigate all of the circumstances,” the spokesperson for the force added.

Authorities are now calling on anyone with information surrounding the woman's disappearance and death to come forward and assist police with investigations to hold those responsible for the horrendous crime into account.

Informants may contact police via email at 101dc.police.uk or through phone at 101, quoting reference number 0700 of June 27.