A KILLER was being hunted today after a young woman's naked body was found dumped in an isolated lane near Droitwich.

Her battered corpse was found at Rashwood yesterday by a man walking his dog.

He made the find at 8.30am in the narrow, dead-end lane, less than two minutes by car from the M5.

"She looked like she'd been bludgeoned to death," said the man, who asked not to be named. "She'd certainly taken a beating. If you knew her, you wouldn't recognise her. She had blood all over her face."

He said the brunette, who appeared to be in her mid-20s, had been dragged along the lane and left on her back in the middle of the road.

A pair of shoes and a white garment were abandoned 30 yards away.

"It must have been someone who knows the area," he said. "It's a dead-end, an unused lane.

"There were fresh tyre marks. Whoever dumped her must have been disturbed because they made no attempt to hide her body.

"My son and his mate came home after a night out - maybe he heard their voices."

Police today would not be drawn on reports that the murdered woman had been sexually assaulted, that she was naked, or that she was in her 20s.

But they did confirm she had been battered around the head and face.

The area was still sealed off today while forensic experts combed the scene.

Uniformed officers guarded the entrance to the lane and an overgrown gateway near Junction 5 of the motorway, which backs on to it.

A Home Office pathologist was called in last night to carry out a post mortem.

The cause of death had not been released as the Evening News went to press.

The officer leading the investigation said that, despite extensive checks, police had been unable to identify her.

"Scenes of Crime officers are carrying out a detailed examination of the scene," said Det Supt Mel Shore. "The lane, the crime scene, needs to be searched in considerable detail.

"We're not able to give any details of the body. We've checked missing persons records, but none of them match up. We've not been able to identify her. We'll be conducting inquiries in the area."

Police are appealing for witnesses who saw anyone acting suspiciously or cars parked in either the Little Chef or Robin Hood pub car park late on Saturday night or early yesterday to come forward.

The incident room, at Pershore police station, can be contacted on 01905 723888.