A decomposed body, presumably that of a woman, was found in a mangrove at Thiruvallam in Thiruvananthapuram late on Friday.

It is suspected that the body could be that of Liga Skromane, a Latvian woman from Ireland, who went missing on March 14. However it is not confirmed as yet since the body is in a state of decay and has also been decapitated.

IANS reports that Liga’s sister Ilze and husband Andrew on Saturday identified the body from the dress and the hair.

But Deputy Commissioner of Police Jayadev G told TNM that the samples have to be sent for testing in order to confirm that it is indeed Liga. 

“It (the body) was like a skeleton and hence the family are not fully sure. Detailed forensic examination should be done to confirm it. As of now, the body has been kept at Medical College Hospital for post-mortem,” he said.

The head of the body was found lying away from the torso, in a marshy spot. The fishermen found the body and alerted the police. On Saturday, Skromane's sister and husband arrived and identified the body from the dress and the hair. Empty bottles, cigarettes and a lighter have been recovered from the place where the body was found.

Liga along with her sister Ilze came to Kerala in February for Liga to receive Ayurvedic therapy for depression. The sisters were staying at Dharma Ayurvedic and Healing Centre in Pothencode in Thiruvananthapuram since February 21. This is where Liga was last seen before she went missing onMarch 14.

The post-mortem will  be followed by a DNA test that is likely to be done at the Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology, Thiruvananthapuram. Ilze and Andrew, apart from the police, had been frantically searching for Liga ever since she went missing. 

With IANS Inputs