A painstaking investigation into the death of a day tripper has failed to discover how she died.

At an inquest yesterday, investigators admitted to being mystified by the death of Polish-born Violetta Wilkanowska.

Miss Wilkanowska disappeared in August 1999 during a trip to Cooden Beach, near Bexhill.

Her clothes and suitcase were found on the beach but there was no trace of her.

More than three months later Robert Wilson, of Barnhorn Road, Little Common, found her body while out walking his dogs on farmland near his home.

The inquest heard he discovered the decomposed remains in a ditch behind bushes.

A major investigation was launched, including appeals for information on BBC1's Crimewatch programme.

Speaking at the Hastings inquest, forensic experts and senior police investigators said they remained unsure as to how the 39-year-old childminder from London died.

Home Office pathologist Vesna Djurovic described how the body had been found lying face-up in a dry ditch, still wearing a jumper, trousers, a swimsuit and flip-flops.

She said: "I could not find any evidence of foul play but I cannot ascertain the cause of death in this case."

The inquest heard Miss Wilkanowska, a former television news reporter, had divorced her Polish husband and moved to London to start a new life.

She suffered from depression, which intensified after the death of a lover in a car crash for which she blamed herself.

Friends said she had made several trips to the seaside from her home in west London as she wanted peace and quiet.

Her body was found on secluded Furnace Field.

Recording an open verdict, coroner Alan Craze said: "There is a considerable amount of evidence to suggest she may have committed suicide but it cannot be proved beyond all reasonable doubt.

"The only reasonable explanation is that she went to sleep in the ditch because she could not afford a hotel and died in that spot."