The body was found by a couple walking their dogs on Christmas morning Police looking for missing Bristol architect Joanna Yeates have sealed off an area near a golf course after a couple found the body of a woman.
Officers have sealed off Longwood Lane in Failand, North Somerset, following the discovery.
Ms Yeates has not been seen since 17 December, when she is thought to have returned to the flat she shared with her 27-year-old boyfriend Greg Reardon.
Her parents, from Hampshire, have said they fear the 25-year-old was abducted.
Mr Reardon reported her missing to police on Sunday when he returned from a weekend visiting family in Sheffield.
Her keys, mobile phone, purse and coat had been left behind.
Police had released footage of Ms Yeates buying a pizza at a Tesco Express near her Clifton home on 17 December, the night she was last seen, which they believed could provide a vital clue.
It is thought she went home, but no trace has been found of the pizza or its wrapping.
The discovery of a body, in a roadside verge, was made at 0900 GMT on Christmas Day by a couple walking their dogs, said police.
Ms Yeates was captured on CCTV at Waitrose shortly after leaving a pub on 17 December An Avon and Somerset Police spokesman said: “The area has been cordoned off and Longwood Lane has been closed at both ends by police, pending an examination of the scene by crime scene investigators.
“A pathologist will be attending the scene to examine the body. It is far too early to confirm the cause of death or any circumstances,” he added.
BBC reporter Steve Brodie said a post-mortem examination would take place on Boxing Day.
The BBC’s Richard Greenaway, at the scene, added that six scenes of crime officers were examining the road, which is near Long Ashton Golf Club, on the edge of Bristol.
Altogether about six police cars and 15 officers were at the scene, which was across from the gorge officers had been searching earlier in the week, he added.
Some 30 detectives are working full time on the investigation and are being assisted by another 40 staff, including uniformed officers, forensic experts and search teams.
On Christmas Eve churchgoers in Bristol were praying for the safe return of Ms Yeates, who was remembered during midnight mass at Christ Church in Clifton.
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