SOSUA - Dominican authorities reported on Tuesday that they are investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of a British woman whose body was found in a state of decomposition in some bushes near the north coast town of Sosua.

The police commander in Sosua, Nelson Diaz Araujo, identified the victim as Denise D. Courtney, 60 years of age, who also used the stage name Denise D'Courtenay. The officer told the press that he has ordered a full and thorough investigation into the case.

A medical examiner of the region arranged for the body of Ms Courtney to be moved to the Regional Institute of Forensic Sciences in Santiago for an autopsy and to determine the cause of death. The body was found Monday in some bushes in the Rocon Beach district by some locals who reported a bad smell in the area and informed the National Police.

A police official said that Courtney, owner of three apartments in the area, had been missing for a week.