A case of murder and house robbery is being investigated by Phoenix police after a 69-year-old woman was found strangled in her Esselen Crescent home.

KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson Captain Nqobile Gwala said on Thursday that, after the woman's body was discovered on Wednesday afternoon, they had also found that an undisclosed amount of money and jewellery had been taken from the elderly woman's home.

A private security company operating in the area said that the woman's domestic worker had been seen leaving the residence at about 09:30 on Wednesday morning.

The woman's body was only discovered at about 15:30 when a transporter arrived at the residence to drop off her grandchild after school, according to Prem Balram of Reaction Unit South Africa.

"After failing to get her attention, he [the transporter] contacted [her] family who arrived at the home and found the front door unlocked. Upon entering the residence, the body of the deceased was discovered," said Balram.

He said a door leading into one of the bedrooms had been forced open. A safe had been stolen and a television was found disconnected.

"The domestic worker has not been located and is a suspect in the murder," Balram said.

Gwala said "no arrest has been made", when asked about the domestic worker's whereabouts.

Source: News24