Mananthavady: A missing tribal woman was found dead on a forest path in the Panavalli–Appapara region within the limits of the Tirunelli Forest Station on Friday morning.

The deceased is Chandni (62), a resident of the Aloor Tribal Settlement at Paralikunnu near Kambalakkad.

According to Forest Department officials, she had been staying at the house of her daughter, Priya, at the Cherumathoor tribal settlement in Appapara. As she went missing on Thursday night, forest personnel launched a search in the area. Following this, her body was recovered. 

As the woman’s head was found shattered, it is suspected that she was trampled to death by a wild elephant, said the officials after preliminary examination. They added that elephant footprints were found near the spot where she was found dead. 

The body was shifted to the Wayanad Government Medical College Hospital in Mananthavady, for post-mortem examination. 

Officials said Chandni had left her daughter’s house on Thursday night and may have encountered the jumbo along the winding jungle paths in the area. However, the exact cause of death will be confirmed only after the autopsy, they added.

A lone tusker has reportedly been roaming in the area for the past few days, though no incidents of attacks on humans have been reported so far.