Police have named the woman murdered in Ilford, east London, in the early hours of Sunday as 36-year-old Zara Allena.
Ms Allena was found with "serious head injuries" in Cranbrook Road at around 2.45am, and later died in hospital.
Speaking at a news conference this afternoon, Met Police Chief Superintendent Stuart Bell said she was the victim of an "opportunist stranger attack".
He said Ms Allena, who was local to the area, "suffered multiple serious injuries that contributed to her death", but there is "no evidence at this time that weapons were used during the attack".
Detectives had previously warned women in the area to be "alert" while the person responsible is still at large.
"Since the attack, officers have worked every hour to determine more about the circumstances - we are determined to catch the person responsible," he said.