Body Found on Queen's Estate Identified as Missing Teen Alisa Dmitrijeva
The body is that of Alisa Dmitrijeva, who went missing last year.
Jan. 8, 2011 — -- The body discovered on property belonging to the Queen of England has been identified as a 17-year-old girl who vanished last year authorities said today.
Alisa Dmitrijeva's body was found on the Sandringham Estate on New Year's Day by a dog walker in a woodland area at Anmer.
The property is used by the British family as a vacation retreat.
Dmitrijeva, from the town of Wisbech, near Cambridge, U.K., disappeared in Aug. 2010 and was last seen 10 miles from the royal grounds.
The decomposed state of the body had complicated efforts to compile a DNA profile and samples taken from teeth, bone and muscle tissue had to be analyzed to identify the body, officials said.
Detective Chief Inspector Jes Fry said despite the remains showing no obvious signs of injury, investigators in Norfolk, U.K. were still treating the incident as a murder inquiry, the BBC reported earlier.
Last week, officials involved in the examination said that it is "highly unlikely" the death was a result of natural causes.
Detectives also found no evidence of accidental injury, damage because of firearms or bladed weapon at the site.
Fry said that officials will be trying to identify people who may have worked near the site.
Officers have asked the public for any information about people who organized events in the area in August and September of 2010.
"We are devastated by the news of Alisa's death. We wish to grieve in private," Dmitrijeva's family said in a statement today.
Sandringham House has served as a private residence for British monarchs since 1862 and is a favorite of the royal family's as a holiday retreat.
The royals, including Prince Charles, Prince William and Kate Middleton, had gathered there with the queen and Prince Philip to celebrate Christmas this year.
In addition to housing the queen, Sandringham Estate is a 20,000 acre property that includes public gardens, villages and cottages with sitting tenants, horse grounds and fully operating farms.