Koh Kong provincial authorities are investigating the death of a young female after her body was found in Botum Sakor district, with police saying they are treating it as a rape and murder case.

Sok Phorn, Botum Sakor district police chief, said as the corpse was decayed, the female was estimated to have been aged between 10 and 20.

Her body was left half-naked, wearing only underwear, and an injury was found to the chest, which likely killed her. Based on the post-mortem, expert police and doctors concluded that the victim was raped and killed, he said.

“We concluded that it is a rape and murder case because the victim was found wearing only underwear, while injuries were found on the body,” he said.

A villager discovered a corpse at 7am on Tuesday near a road in Andong Teuk commune’s Chitres village and reported it to police, according to Sok Nhor, chief of the provincial police’s serious crimes bureau.

“The discovery of the corpse could be a murder case,” Nhor said.

After the post-mortem, police handed the body over to local authorities who buried it. A search is on for the perpetrator and the victim’s relatives.

Authorities said they had announced the discovery within the local area, but after no one claimed to know the victim, it was concluded that she was from outside the district.