Miss Geeson was last seen leaving a New Year's Eve party

Miss Geeson, 22, disappeared early on New Year's Day after going to a party with friends.

A post-mortem examination carried out by a Home Office pathologist on Saturday showed she died of asphyxia.

Her naked body was found at Madingley, on Friday, three miles from the pub where Miss Geeson was last seen - she had sent text messages asking for help.

Further tests are now to be carried out on the body to establish if she had been the victim of a sex attack.

Our beautiful daughter has been taken from us and words cannot begin to express our heart-ache at this time Family statement

Her body was discovered by a man out walking near a Second World War American Military Cemetery.

It was discovered shortly after her family, from Southend, Essex, made the latest in a series of appeals for information.

Through Det Sup Garry Swain of Cambridgeshire police, who now says he is leading a murder inquiry, the family issued a statement.

It said: "Our beautiful daughter has been taken from us and words cannot begin to express our heart-ache at this time.

"Sally was a wonderful and loving daughter, sister and friend and we are simply devastated."

Miss Geeson was a forensic science student at Anglia Polytechnic University from Southend in Essex.

A forensic crime officer at the site where Sally's body was found

People living in the area said the road off which Miss Geeson's body was found was a minor one used as a shortcut into Madingley village leading to Huntingdon.

They said it was not a road that people would be aware of unless they had local knowledge.

One villager, who did not want to be named, said: "I would have thought it was likely that someone would have to know that the road was there.