Police have identified the woman whose body was found stuffed into a suitcase and dumped in the Swan River as Annabelle Chen, 57, of Mosman Park.

Major Crime Squad Detective Senior Sergeant Tom Mills said on Monday that Ms Chen had relatives in Perth but was estranged from them, and others lived and worked interstate and overseas and it was not uncommon for her not to see or speak to them for long periods.

Ms Chen led a self-sufficient lifestyle, and was described as a private, caring and spiritual person who was interested in art.

But after an unusually long break in communication, which was out of character for her, her daughter from Melbourne reported her missing last Friday, leading police to search her Mosman Park home and identify her over the weekend.