WOMAN'S BODY FOUND ON U.K. QUEEN'S ESTATE LEADS TO MURDER PROBE

In a chilling news piece that surfaced Tuesday, the remains of a woman’s body were found on the Queen's Sandringham country estate. British police said that the case was treated as a murder and an autopsy was being conducted to identify the victim and determine the cause of death.

According to reports, the woman’s body was found three kilometers from the vast rural estate in Norfolk where Queen Elizabeth II and the rest of the Royal family held a New Year’s celebration this year in full rural splendor.

"The remains of a female were found by a member of the public who reported the incident to police shortly after 4 p.m. on Sunday 1 January," Norfolk Constabulary said in a statement published on its website. It added that the site was being examined by forensic experts and that a report should be completed on Tuesday.

The discovery of the body in a forest at Anmer, a tiny village 115 miles northeast of London that is also part of the Sandringham estate, shook the normally quiet country region and there were speculations that it might be a murder case. The British police confirmed the suspicions later and said in a statement that the woman was a murder victim.

Detective Chief Inspector Jes Fry said that the "circumstances suggest this is a murder." He added that the authorities were exploring missing person reports and unsolved cases around the country to see if there were any links with this case.

“We are at the very early stages of the investigation and it could be a complex inquiry,” Detective Fry said Tuesday. “The body had been there for some time.”

“I cannot confirm whether she was clothed because, at the moment, only my staff, the person who found the body and the person or people who put it there know that and I would like it to stay that way,” he added. “The body was found by a dog walker and was not underground. At this stage we do not know who the victim is.”

The estate has served as a private residence for British monarchs since 1862 and is a favorite of the Royal family’s as a holiday spot. Most of Britain’s senior Royals including the Queen herself, Prince Philip, Prince Charles, Prince William and Kate Middleton, were at the luxurious estate for the holidays this year and celebrated New Year’s Day there as well.

Buckingham Palace officials have so far declined to comment about the murder case, referring callers to the police.