An inquest has been opened into the death of a 17-year-old woman whose body was found on the Queen's estate in Norfolk on New Year's Day.

Police have launched a murder investigation after the remains of Alisa Dmitrijeva were discovered by a dog walker in a copse less than two miles from Sandringham House where the Royal Family have been spending their Christmas break.

Norfolk coroner William Armstrong today opened an inquest into the death of the Latvian-born student who was reported missing from her Wisbech home on September 6 last year.

Mr Armstrong said: 'The circumstances of this tragedy are well known. Alisa's family had not seen her for over a week when on September 6 they reported her to Cambridge police as a missing person.

'Police conducted numerous inquiries but were unable to locate her. On January 1 this year a member of the public found a body in a remote woodland area on the Sandringham estate.' Mr Armstrong said he was satisfied by evidence provided to him that the remains were those of Miss Dmitrijeva who was born in Latvia and lived at Railway Road, Wisbech.

The inquest, which was held in Norwich, heard the location the body was found was French's Covert Belt, King's Avenue, Sandringham Estate, King's Lynn.

Mr Armstrong said a post mortem examination was carried out by Dr Nat Carey at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King's Lynn, but the cause of death is currently unascertained.

He adjourned the inquest to a date to be fixed.