A student murdered on a Thai island may have been attacked while on the phone with her mother.

Katherine Horton, 21, reportedly screamed as she talked to parent Elizabeth Horton in Britain, on New Year's Day.

The victim's father Iain and brother Richard are flying to Thailand.

Katherine's body was discovered by a jet-skier and police have launched a murder inquiry.

Forensic scientist Dr Pattana Kitkailart, who performed a post-mortem examination on Miss Horton's body, said: "There were wounds on her head from being hit with a blunt object and on her body and arms there were signs that she was dragged."

She had then suffocated, he reported.

Dr Kitkailart added "it was not clear" from the post mortem if Miss Horton had been raped and further tests would take two or three days.

A police spokesman added it appeared that the victim had been dead less than 12 hours when her body was found off the island of Koh Samui.

Katherine was last seen on Sunday evening by her friend Ruth Adams.

Ms Adams told police she left her friend after she received a call from her relatives on her mobile phone.

The family issued a statement through the police: "We will miss her warmth, her vivacity and her passion for life.

"She brought us so much happiness and words cannot express the emptiness we feel at our loss."

Robert Smyth, headteacher of her former school in the city, said: "Katherine was an outstanding student in every respect, popular with her peers and extremely well remembered by all staff who came across her."

The victim had flown out to Thailand for a short break on December 27 after celebrating Christmas with her family.

http://www.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30000-1207633,00.html

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/4579234.stm

Please see this thread for updates:

Samui forum: backpacker found dead