Woman's body found dumped in wheelie bin
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A murder investigation was under way tonight after a woman's body was found dumped in a wheelie bin outside a suburban house.
Officers were alerted by a member of the public at 3.20pm yesterday after a human foot was spotted protruding from the bin at a semi-detached property in Cobham, Surrey.
When a forensic team arrived and carefully emptied the contents of the bin they discovered the body lying among rubbish.
After launching a murder inquiry, Surrey Police said they urgently wanted to speak to a man who used to live at the house in Hamilton Avenue.
"Scenes of crime officers carefully emptied the bin to preserve forensic opportunities, recovering the full intact body of a white woman, believed to be in her 30s, which had been surrounded by rubbish," a police spokesman said.
A post-mortem examination is currently taking place at the Royal Surrey County Hospital in Guildford to help establish the cause of death.
Detectives are focusing their inquiries on locating Peter Wallner, 33, who moved out of the address roughly three weeks ago. His whereabouts are currently unknown.
He is described by police as a heavy-built white man, with broad shoulders, roughly six feet in height, with slightly-receding brown cropped hair and brown eyes.
Police were today at the scene conducting house-to-house inquiries.
The semi-detached house, which has an estate agent's For Sale board outside and is just metres from a children's play area, was taped off and guarded by two officers .
A white tent could be seen covering the small driveway beside the property's wooden front door.
Neighbours this afternoon described their shock at the grim find.
Brenda Hall, 74, said: "I was horrified. You don't like to think of anything like that happening on your doorstep. It just freaks me out to think it happened so close to home."
She added she thought a man was recently living at the property and had also seen a woman there "now and again".
Simon Holloway, 34, said: "I came back here yesterday and the area was cordoned off. I just assumed someone had died because there was no ambulance here, just forensics. I don't know who she was or what happened to her but it's not pleasant. We are all feeling for her family."
Anyone with information about the death or location of Peter Wallner, should call Surrey Police on 0845 125 2222 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.