The 27-year-old woman who was found seriously injured in a car bled to death, police have revealed.

The victim, who has still not been named, was found seriously injured in a VW Passat car in Woodfield Road, Crawley, just after 6pm on Tuesday.

Paramedics were unable to save her and she was declared dead just under an hour later. Her body was taken to East Surrey Hospital in Redhill.

A post-mortem, carried out last night, revealed that the woman had died after the femoral artery in her left leg was severed. She had also received a number of other stabbing type injuries to her leg, body and head.

Two men, aged 30 and 51, both from Crawley, were arrested at the scene on suspicion of murder. They are believed to be the woman's father-in-law and husband.

The 30-year-old has been detained in a secure unit under section 2 of the Mental Health Act. The 51-year-old has been bailed to return to Crawley Custody on January 25.

The Woodfield Road address where the woman’s body was found is home to Mirza Mumtaz Baig, 51, a landlord said to own other properties in Crawley.

Neighbours said he shared it with his wife, sons Mirza Afbat, 29 and Mirza Kashif and their own wivesl. The family, from Pakistan, is Muslim and both of the sons' marriages were said to be arranged

Detective Chief Inspector Nigel Smith, who is leading the Sussex Police Major Crime Branch enquiry into the murder, today said: "This is an intricate investigation and we need to establish the exact circumstances of how this lady died. We now know that the attack took place in the car, while three occupants were travelling in it, which then returned to Woodfield Road, from where the ambulance service was called. We are advised that the nature of her injury would have resulted in her death in a matter of minutes."