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Tortured life of body in woods mum

Jane Benians
Jane Benians

For hundreds of people who heard about her death, she was just a body in the woods.

But to her family, Jane Benians was a mother-of-three and soon-to-be grandmother with a dazzling personality - and dress sense to match.

The 53-year-old's body was found in Gillingham woodland after she is believed to have taken her own life.

Jane's pregnant daughter Vicky, 38, started bleeding soon after she learnt of her mother's death.

She thought she had lost her only baby, but after visiting the doctor discovered she was expecting twins - and one had survived the trauma.

Jane's sister, Donna Bland, said the survival of one of the babies was the only blessing to come from the death.

She had two other children, John-Paul, 30, and 32-year-old Kelly. Jane had only recently made amends with them after getting back in touch.

Jane, who grew up in Gillingham, had suffered from mental health problems since the age of 15.

Her sister Donna said: "She was a very stubborn but sparkly person, and she loved her family so much.

"She just lived her life battling with what she called demons in her head and I think she just didn't want to struggle any more. We will all miss her, but she must have been tortured every day.

"I know she would never have wanted that poor girl who found her in the woods to find her that way and she would never want to leave those images in someone else's head."

Jane's body was found by a passer-by in woodland between Owens Way and Copperhouse Lane on Thursday morning last week.

A woman's body is found in Gillingham woodland
A woman's body is found in Gillingham woodland

Donna added: "To a lot of people Jane is just a woman in the woods, but she has a face and a family and a name.

"The clothes she wore were crazy and you could always see her coming from a mile away. She loved karaoke and singing Abba at The Monarch in Gillingham.

"That's the thing I'll miss the most about her - we used to sing a final song together at the end of karaoke and now we will never all be together again."

Office workers who watched from their window as her body was removed spoke about the "upsetting" day.

Jo George, 27, works at Jubilee Clips - about 50 yards from where Jane was found.

She said: "It was a very strange atmosphere and everyone was wondering what was going on.

"We all knew something big was happening because police car after police car was pulling up, and then a nurse, followed by forensics van.

"When we realised it was a dead body, and after seeing the private ambulance arrive, it did make us feel a bit upset to think she was lying there while we all just thought it was another normal working day."

An inquest into Jane's death, which police are not treating as suspicious, was opened and adjourned on Wednesday.

Did you know Jane Benians? Leave your tributes below.

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