POLICE believe a woman in her sixties who was found dead in woodland at the Watlington Hill National Trust park was known to the attacker.

At about 5.53pm yesterday, the body of the woman was found, with a murder enquiry launched.

A 23-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder.

He is currently being treated in hospital for serious injuries, with his condition described as serious but stable.

Read again: Man arrested after woman found dead in woods

Senior investigating officer, Detective Superintendent Craig Kirby of Thames Valley Police’s Major Crime Unit, said: “We are continuing our enquiries following this tragic incident.

“We are still in the very early stages of our investigation and I realise that members of the community may have concerns.

“We believe that this was not a random attack and that the victim and the attacker were known to each other.

“The arrested man remains in the custody of police officers while he receives hospital treatment for serious injuries.

See also: Food banks and businesses pick up the slack after Government fails to provide free holiday meals to children

“I would continue to appeal for anyone with information around this incident no matter how insignificant it may seem to please come forward.

“Anyone with information should call 101 quoting reference 1300 of 23/10/20.

“If you wish to report anonymously you can do so by calling the Crimestoppers Charity on 0800 555 111.

See also: ‘Big groups’ of students ‘throwing bottles’ after leaving pubs

“A number of scenes will remain in place in the Christmas Common area whilst we continue to investigate and I would like to thank the public for their patience.

“Members of the public will see an increased presence whilst we continue to investigate. If anyone has any concerns about this incident or even information they would like to pass on they can speak to one of our uniformed officers.”

The woman’s next of kin have been informed and they are being supported by specially trained officers, however formal identification processes and a post-mortem are yet to be carried out.