A YORKSHIRE Dales community mourned yesterday for a woman they never knew.

The body of an Oriental woman was found three years ago by walkers near the well-known Pen y Ghent hill, yards from the Pennine Way.

A short non-denominational service and burial took place yesterday in Horton-in-Ribblesdale Parish Church, about a mile from the stream where the woman was discovered semi-naked.

Despite a major police investigation, detectives still do not know the woman's identity or how she died. The funeral was attended by about 50 mourners.

As well as police officers who worked on the case, a television crew and several newspaper reporters and a number of villagers were at the service to pay their last respects.

Also in attendance was walker David Pickersgill, 69, from Bradford, who is possibly the last person to see the woman alive.

He said: "I was out walking with my son-in-law and she asked us the way to Pen y Ghent. She didn't seem at all distressed or worried

"She went on her way and I thought nothing more about it - then I saw her picture in the paper."

The Reverend Roger Wood told mourners that while the press had called the victim a "mystery woman", he knew her as "our lady of the hill". He said the woman's plight had touched the hearts of many people in the local community and that one of the saddest aspects of the case was that tests showed the woman had been a mother.

During the service, hymns were read and the church choir sang a short piece.

The woman was buried in a corner of the graveyard in a plot donated by Horton-in-Ribblesdale Parish Council.

The brass plaque on the simple wooden coffin was inscribed with the words "unknown female".

A small number of wreaths were placed beside the coffin.

One was left by North Yorkshire Police.

Another bunch of flowers left over from the local horticultural show was donated by a parishioner.

The woman, who asked not to be named, said: "I'm a woman who does a lot of walking on my own and I have a lot of empathy with her.

"For someone just to disappear on their own is very, very sad."

Experts believe the woman was aged between 20 and 40 and possibly from China, Korea, Thailand or the Philippines.

The police investigation into the woman's death was led by Detective Inspector Pete Martin, who gave a short speech during the funeral service, thanking villagers and his officers for their help with the case.

He said: "This by no means is the end of our investigation and our inquiries to identify her will continue.

"Someone, somewhere knows who she is and I need them to contact me."

Anyone with information is asked to contact Harrogate CID on 0845-60-60-247.