Police release CCTV images of mystery woman whose body was found in lake in ‘unexplained’ death after reports she may have been knocking on doors asking for a shower

• Officers were called to Cresswell Lake, Oxfordshire on the evening of August 16
• Passers-by reported seeing a body in the water at the renowned beauty spot
• Police now appealing for help in identifying her, more than a week on from death 

Police have released CCTV images of a mystery woman whose body was found in a lake amid reports she may have been knocking on doors asking for a shower.

Officers were called to Cresswell Lake, Yarnton, Oxfordshire – a renowned beauty spot – on the evening of August 16 after passers-by reported seeing a body in the water.

In a bid to try and identify her, Thames Valley Police is now appealing for the public to look at three images, believed to be the last taken of her before her death, which is still being treated as ‘unexplained’.

Police have released CCTV images of a mystery woman whose body was found in a lake amid reports she may have been knocking on doors asking for a shower

In a bid to try and identify her, Thames Valley Police is now appealing for the public to look at three images, believed to be the last taken of her before her death

A spokesman said: ‘The woman has still yet to be identified and a post-mortem examination conducted on Friday has been inconclusive as to the cause of her death.’

Today, Detective Inspector Tracey Benham added: ‘We are still treating the death of the woman as unexplained, but as yet, we have been unable to ascertain her identity.

‘Despite extensive investigations, we have exhausted lines of inquiry as to identifying the woman, and so we are taking the decision to release these CCTV images, captured on August 8, as we have ascertained that this is very sadly the woman who was located in the water.

‘We have had no missing person reports in the Thames Valley of a woman matching the description, which is a female with shoulder-length dark hair.

‘She is a light-skinned female of slim to medium build and approximately 5ft 6ins tall aged approximately in her mid-twenties. She was wearing an olive green Barbour jacket, a burnt orange jumper and an orange/red and cream striped long-sleeved t-shirt and fitted blue jeans.

‘I would ask anybody with any information, no matter how insignificant you believe this may be, to contact 101, or make a report online.’

Police hunting the woman’s next of kin believe she could have been seen in the nearby area asking for help only hours before she disappeared.

Police were called to the scene in Yarnton on the evening of Monday, August 18

The body of the woman was found in Cresswell Lake between the A34 and A40 (pictured) 

DI Benham added: ‘We have had reports of a woman who was in the area knocking on doors and asking for a shower, and we believe that this may have been this person.

‘Any information that you may have that could assist this investigation will be gratefully received and will hopefully allow us to locate the woman’s family and offer the support that they will need following this tragic incident.’

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