The woman, a 23-year-old mother of two from Trollhättan, was declared missing at the end of June.

Over 200 volunteers from the Missing People organization have joined the hunt for the woman, who was initially believed to have been kidnapped.

However, on Tuesday police from the declared that the woman was likely murdered.

“With the help of technical evidence, we can state that the 23-year-old woman has been murdered,” Thord Haraldsson of the local police told Sveriges Radio.

He added that officers were now running a murder investigation.

Two men, aged 31 and 35-years-old, remain in custody on suspicion of aiding and abetting a criminal. The 35-year-old man is an acquaintance of the woman and has had previous contact with the police.

Both men deny all the allegations against them, although according to the prosecutor suspicions against the men have strengthened over the two weeks they have been in custody.

The woman’s blood was discovered in her apartment in Trollhättan, which lies roughly 75 kilometres north of Gothenburg.

“As we don’t know what has caused the death or how it transpired, we’re in a tricky position with the investigation,” Haraldsson added.

TT/The Local/og

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