Community police officer Julia James was “naturally funny with a brilliant sense of humour”.
image copyrightKent Police
The family of a police community support officer found dead in woodland said she “was fiercely loyal” and “loved with her whole heart”.
The body of Julia James, 53, was found in Akholt Wood, Snowdown, near Dover, on Tuesday.
She died from “significant head injuries” and a murder inquiry is under way, Kent Police said.
“There are no words to adequately describe the void left in our lives,” her family said in statement.
“She was so naturally funny with a brilliant sense of humour,” they added.
image copyrightPA Media
A post-mortem examination carried out on Thursday concluded Ms James died from a blunt force trauma, police said.
The officer, whose body was found a few hundred yards from her house, had been taking her dog for a walk when she was killed. The pet was found unharmed at the scene.
She joined the force as a PCSO in 2008 and had more recently been working with victims of domestic abuse while based in Canterbury.
Ms James had been working from home on the day she died, and was not in uniform when she was found, police said.
Her family said they were “trying to understand how we will navigate our lives without her,” adding: “It seems an impossible task.”
She was a “fiercely loyal” wife, mother, daughter, grandmother, sister and friend, who “loved with her whole heart,” her family said.
“Nothing was too much trouble for the people she cared about,” the statement added.
image copyrightGareth Fuller
Assistant chief constable Tom Richards said she had been a “dedicated” PCSO who was “well liked by colleagues and members of the public”.
He added: “We are all devastated by what has happened.”
Police said officers would remain in the area until “at least the beginning of next week”.
Officers could be seen walking in lines through fields near her home on Friday.
Mr Richards said residents should “remain vigilant until the full circumstances of the death are established”.
Police said they could not rule out the possibility Ms James had been attacked by a stranger, but were investigating “all possibilities in terms of motive and suspects”.
Her family appealed for anyone with information “however small or insignificant” to contact police.
“You could be helping us get justice for Julia,” they said.
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