A woman whose body was found in bushes in an east London suburb is believed to have been murdered, according to police. Maria Jane Rawlings, 45, was found dead in Little Heath, Romford, by a man walking his dog at about 2pm on Tuesday. A postmortem carried out on Wednesday gave the preliminary cause of death as neck compression and possible blunt force head trauma, it has emerged. The Metropolitan police appealed for information from the public as it launched a murder investigation, and sought to address fears about safety in the area, particularly among women. Rawlings, a mother of two from the Chelmsford area in Essex, had attended King George hospital in Goodmayes, Ilford, on Monday before leaving on foot to Barley Lane in the direction of the A12. Detectives believe someone may have approached her while she was walking on that road. Police were continuing to examine the area around where her body was discovered at a village green in Chadwell Heath. DCI David Hillier, who is leading the investigation, said: “Her family are understandably distraught and we are doing all we can to help them as they begin to come to terms with their loss. “Now I am asking for the public to help us. I want to hear from anyone who knew Maria and knows about where she had been and who she had been associating with. “Have you seen her in the area in the company of another person? Had you recently heard or seen a disturbance or struggle in the area but did not think it significant at the time?” He appealed to people to think carefully about whether they had dashcam or doorbell footage that could have captured her and to contact the police if they had. Patrols by local policing teams have been stepped up in the area, according to Ch Supt Stephen Clayman, the head of the borough command unit for Barking and Dagenham, Havering and Redbridge. “I understand the concerns around safety that will arise from this, particularly from women,” he said. “Community safety remains a high priority and I urge anyone who has any concerns to speak to my officers when you see them, or contact us.” Sam Tarry, the Labour MP for Ilford South, said his constituents would be "extremely concerned,” adding that he had sought assurances from the local police commander that additional resources would be provided on the streets. Councillor Jas Athwal, the leader of Redbridge council, said people were “shocked and saddened by this heinous attack”. “I want to reassure residents that no stone will be left unturned in tracking down the culprit and bringing them to justice,” he added. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to Maria’s friends and family at this terrible time. I would urge anyone who has information which may help the police with their investigation to please come forward.”