A MURDER investigation has been launched today after a post mortem examination showed a woman, believed to be missing Polish farm worker Danuta Domagalska, had been strangled.

Specialist search teams found the woman’s body underneath piles of rubbish and rubble on land behind a cow byre on New Moor Farm, Walworth Gate, near Darlington, on Saturday evening, 24 hours after sniffer dogs found a possible deposition site.

The body has yet to be formally identified but it is expected to be named as 27-year-old Mrs Domagalska tomorrow when DNA analysis has been completed. It had been laying there for two weeks.

Mrs Domagalska, who worked at the farm, had not been seen since Saturday, August 6. Her brother Piotr Lawniczak, who went missing a week later after being confronted by the farm owners, was found hanging in a wooded area close to the farm on Wednesday, August 20.

Mrs Domgalska’s husband Marcin and her family back home in Poland have all been informed. Detective Superintendent Adrian Green, who is leading the investigation, said they were all devastated.

Inquiries will continue on the farm for the rest of the week. Police will also travel to Poland as part of their investigation as they prepare files for the Crown Prosecution Service and for two inquests. However, DS Green said they were not searching for anyone else.

He added: “There is a lot more work to do. We will be on the farm for at least three days and investigations continue. We will be sending out a team to Poland hopefully by the end of the week.”