The murder of a female teacher in the grounds of a women's prison is not being linked to inmates.
The woman taught at East Sutton Park Open Prison in Sutton Valence, near Maidstone, Kent. Her body was found behind her car in the prison car park at around 5.15pm yesterday. She had left the jail at 4pm, police said.
Kent Police have set up a major incident room at their Maidstone headquarters and have 20 officers working on the investigation.
Detective Inspector John Coull of Kent Police said: "We're asking that anyone who may have heard or seen anything suspicious or who saw something untoward in the car park to speak to us.
"It is not unusual for members of the public to use the car park to visit the prison." The woman, who was in her 40s, was found by a member of the prison staff, police said.
Officers were speaking to prison staff and inmates today as part of their inquiries. The woman's relatives were being informed and formal identification will take place today.
A Home Office pathologist is also expected to conduct a post mortem examination to establish the cause of death. The woman, who has not been named, worked for private contractor A4e to deliver the Offender Learning and Skills Service.
A4e is providing helpline support to her colleagues at the site. A spokeswoman described the incident as a "tragedy" but declined to comment further.
East Sutton Park, described as a pleasant mansion house overlooking the Weald of Kent, first opened as a borstal in 1946.
It holds both adult and young offender women in open conditions preparing them for resettlement in the community, according to the Prison Service. It had an operational capacity of 100 as of last November, and is said to have an emphasis on resettlement with good community links.
Hugh Robertson, MP for Faversham and Mid Kent, told the Kent Messenger: "Everybody's first thoughts will be with the family and friends of the victim.