Police have cordoned off a section of the Hobart Rivulet after a woman’s body was discovered “semi-naked” submerged in the water.
A man walking his dog along the rivulet track made the grim discovery around 4:30pm on Friday and immediately contacted authorities.
The scene between Molle Street and Warneford Street remains closed, with police divers now deployed to search the area.
The woman, a 33-year-old who lived “place to place”, has been identified by police who are in contact with her family.
“Police are keeping an open mind as to the cause of death and further investigations are underway,” a spokesperson said.
Officers are conducting door-to-door inquiries in the surrounding area as detectives work to piece together the circumstances leading to the woman’s death.
Speaking on Saturday afternoon, Inspector David Gill said the woman was last seen at around 5pm on Thursday.
“We have obtained a number of statements and established a timeline of events around the incident,” he said.
Officers removed fencing around the rivulet to access the scene through “dangerous” rocky bushes.
“The water depth in the area ranged from ankle deep to knee deep,” he said.
“A swag was located in the water itself and we believe it may have belonged to the deceased female.”
“The female was semi-naked in the water and did actually have injuries to her body, so obviously we immediately treated it as suspicious.”
Gill said the woman has been known to camp in the rivulet on the occasion.
Police are appealing for anyone who may have seen a woman in the rivulet area between Molle Street and Warneford Street to come forward.
The public has been asked to avoid the cordoned area until further notice while investigations continue.
Anyone with information is urged to contact police on 131 444 or provide information anonymously through Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
