POLICE launched a murder inquiry today after it was confirmed that a body found in isolated woodland was that of missing teenager Leanne Tiernan.
West Yorkshire police said that Leanne, 16, of Bramley, Leeds, who has been missing since Sunday, November 26, last year, had been strangled.
The body was discovered by a man walking his dog in Lindley Wood, near Otley, West Yorkshire, on Monday afternoon.
Police confirmed at a press conference in Leeds today that the body had been found in plastic bags which had been wrapped in a quilt cover.
Detective Superintendent Chris Gregg said they believed Leanne had been killed somewhere else and her body dumped at the isolated beauty spot.
He said her body remained clothed.
He said: "Further tests are being carried out to determine the length of time the body has been there. It is unclear at this stage but it is not believed to have been there since last November.
"West Yorkshire and North Yorkshire detectives and forensic experts are continuing inquiries today at the scene."
Leanne was last seen at 4.50pm on November 26 last year, when she parted company with her friend, Sarah Whitehouse, near Houghley Gill, in Bramley, after a shopping trip to Leeds.
Updated: 14:35 Wednesday, August 22, 2001
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