French authorities are investigating the death of a woman whose decomposing body was found in the garden of a rented luxury home in suburban Paris.

A group of young people who were renting the house for the weekend through the Airbnb service discovered the badly decomposed body in forest undergrowth on the unfenced property.

Bertrand Daillie, deputy prosecutor for Evry, said the corpse was covered by tree branches that had been deliberately placed there.

The unidentified white woman in her early 40s was wearing clothes but no coat or other winter clothing, Mr Daillie said.

The renters, mostly in their 20s, discovered the body on Saturday afternoon, and officers are questioning them.

Mr Daillie said the house belongs to a family of seven who had gone on holiday for a few days. They are expected to return on Wednesday when they will be questioned by police.

The owner told detectives he was distraught at the idea that his young children could have made the gruesome discovery, according to the deputy prosecutor.

A post-mortem examination on Monday did not establish the cause of death but put the timing at one month or more, Mr Daillie said. Other forensic examinations will be carried out later this week.

The seven-bedroom, 19th century house with its own swimming pool is near a forest in the well-off neighbourhood of Palaiseau, 12 miles south-west of Paris. It rents for €400 per night.

The listing has since been removed from Airbnb.