JOHOR BARU (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - Police here have confirmed that they are investigating the death of Estonian freelance model Regina Soosalu as murder.

Senior Assistant Commissioner Datuk Hasnan Hassan, the Johor CID chief, said her death in Pulau Rawa, off Mersing, on July 1 was initially investigated as a drowning but changed to murder after suspicious wounds were found on her body.

"We can confirm that the woman arrived at Pulau Rawa on July 1 and died on the same day.

"We have also detained six persons to assist with investigations, " he said on Wednesday, while declining to reveal the exact timeline for the incident as it was still being investigated.

Asked if the detained suspects included the woman's partner, SAC Hasnan said they had yet to detain him.

He also said the woman's family was informed of her death via Interpol.

"I believe that the message was relayed to the family via the Estonian Embassy in Beijing," he said while declining to comment further.

An online portal had previously reported that Ms Soosalu, who lived in Kuala Lumpur, was believed to have been on a holiday on the island when she died.

Sources in the modelling industry, however, suspected something amiss as her death was only made known to them only on July 6.

They were also not informed of the exact cause of her death, which varied from drowning to a disease.