Women have been told to remain vigilant and considered where they walk after a PCSO was killed in Kent woodland.
It comes as locals claimed a dog walker was harassed by a man in a van two weeks ago, just one mile away from the location of the suspected murder.
The body of Julia James, 53, was discovered in the village of Snowdown, near Dover, at around 4pm on Tuesday afternoon.
Her faithful Jack Russell, Toby, remained by her side and wouldn’t leave her. Mrs James is thought to have suffered head injuries.
Her death is being treated as suspicious and both police and locals fear she may have been killed by a random stranger.
Another potential incident earlier this month saw a woman allegedly pestered by a man in neighbouring village Nonnington while walking her dog. She managed to distract him, escaped and shouted for help.
Dover district councillor Charles Woodgate said: ‘People in the village are scared there was some crazy nutter in the woods who is now on the loose.
‘They fear it was a stranger who killed Julia and hopefully the police catch them quickly.’
Police officers continue to patrol the area and have reportedly warned women walking their dogs to ‘veer from their normal route’ and avoid the woods.
Some female residents have said they are too scared to take their pets for a walk while the attacker in still on the loose.
Dozens of police are still scouring the surrounding areas for clues about what happened to their colleague, including a fingertip search using dogs along the route Mrs James would have taken before her death.
A team were also seen arriving with metal detectors, presumably to look for a murder weapon. Footpaths and fields remain sealed off.
Wayne Davis, who was with Mrs James for 13 years before they split in 2009, fears her work with domestic violence victims in Kent Police may have made her a target.
‘We don’t know if it’s a random attack or whether she was targeted by someone, possibly because of her job,’ he told MailOnline.
‘Whoever has done this needs to be arrested as soon as possible because we don’t know if it’ll happen again. A lot of people walk their dogs down that path, many of them alone.’
Friend Sean Simmonds, who lives opposite Mrs James and her husband Paul, said: ‘I used to talk to her about her job quite a bit, she said she was a PCSO who was mainly office and worked with victims of domestic violence.
‘She liked her job very much. I’ve wondered whether she was the victim of an enraged husband whose wife she helped leave the family home due to abuse but she never told me that she’d been threatened by anyone or had any grievances with anyone.’
The mum-of-two lived in The Crescent, Snowdown, became a PCSO in 2007. She has been described as ‘one of the most lovely people I ever met’ by those who knew her.
She was once commended for bravery after chasing down a shoplifter in nearby Ashford.
Mrs James was not on duty at the time of her death, with her last shift finishing 48 hours prior.
Referring to the claims about the dog walker being confronted by a prowler in a van, a Kent Police spokesperson said: ‘This is a live investigation and we continue to carry out enquiries to establish the circumstances.
‘We will not be commenting or speculating on any individual lines of enquiry at this time.’
A growing number of flowers, candles and cards have been left close to where Mrs James’ body was found.
One note from colleagues read: ‘PCSO Julia James. Your duty is done. Take it easy for now we will take it from here! Thinking of your family at this time. From the guys in blue xx.’
Another bouquet was left by a friend called Becki, with a note calling her ‘the kindest person I’ve ever met’, and thanking her for always making her laugh.
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