DCI McHugh added: “Her family became concerned and made their own enquiries before visiting the police station which led officers to the allotments where she was sadly found.

“Her family are absolutely devastated and trying to come to terms with the awful news.”

In an earlier statement, he confirmed that police did "not have a motive for Lea's murder" and said she had died in "the most tragic way possible".

He said that the 80-year-old had access to the building in which she was found, but would not confirm reports about how she died.

The officer added: “There are a number of buildings ranging from sheds and garages, it is best described as a garage, it had two wooden doors. She had access to it.

"We are not going to go into details as to how she died. "It's fairly significant to the investigation, there has been a post mortem and we know the cause of death, it is in suspicious circumstances.

"At this time we are open minded and we are trying to establish if there is any property missing.”