THE son of an "amazing" PCSO found murdered on a footpath in rural Kent has paid moving tribute to his mum – and said her death "doesn't make sense".
The body of 53-year-old Julia James was discovered in Akholt Wood in hamlet Snowdown on Tuesday. Her Jack Russell was by her side.
Cops have warned women and children living nearby to keep away from the woods as they probe claims tragic Julia was attacked by a stranger on the edge of a field.
And Julia's son Patrick Davis, 23, has taken to Facebook to say a heartbreaking goodbye to his beloved mum.
He wrote: “Mum, I cannot believe I’m even writing this.
"I love you to the moon and back.
"I’m in complete shock and I still don’t even think this is real, but I just hope wherever you may be that you’re happy and comfy because that’s all you deserve.
“You were the most amazing, loving, caring, mother anyone could ever ask for and the circumstances that surround this just don’t make sense.
“I appreciate everyone’s messaging and stuff but I’ve got to ask for people to let me and my family have some space at the moment.
“Fly high mum, I love you so much.”
It was accompanied by photos of them together and a photo of Julia on her wedding day.
Patrick's dad and Julia's ex Wayne Davis said the popular PCSO was the love of his life.
The couple had been separated for years, and Julia was married to husband Paul at the time of her death.
Wayne told The Sun he'd asked Patrick if he knew what was happening in Snowdown after they heard reports of police activity there on Tuesday.
"He said to begin with he didn’t, but there were police everywhere. I said I’d heard a woman has lost her life," he said.
“Then a bit later, the phone rang and he said, 'Dad, it’s Mum’. He was crying and crying.
“He was devastated. Julia was the love of my life, but we separated, as couples sometimes do.
“She was a lovely woman. She was walking her dog a lot.
“What she did as a PCSO was not just a job – it was a way of life."
And he said her death bears eerie similarities to the horrific 1996 Chillenden murders just two-and-a-half miles away.
“What I personally find odd, is it’s happened in the middle of nowhere," he said.
“It’s a mystery. The police know more than what they’re saying – they want to catch who has done it.
“For something like that to happen, in the middle of nowhere – you don’t know whether it’s just random."
Mum and daughter Lin and Megan Russell, as well as dog Lucy, were murdered in Chillenden 1996.
Lin's older daughter Josie, then nine, suffered horrific injuries but survived the attack.
Michael Stone was jailed for the horrifying murders. His earliest chance of release will be in 2023, when he will be 63.
Julia worked for Kent Police's domestic violence unit, where she is said to have been a "devoted" advocate for victims.
Cops from the force's serious crime directorate are examining whether her killer was in the area the previous day.
No arrests have been made.
Police have not confirmed reports that Julia suffered head injuries.
One neighbour, who asked to remain anonymous, told The Times: “It’s just too close to home.
"You associate it with what happened in Chillenden. It makes you think, have we got someone going around killing people in the woods?"
Meanwhile, The Sun exclusively reported that a terrified female dog walker was accosted by a man in a van – just a mile from where Julia was murdered.
Locals say two weeks ago a woman walking her dog was approached by a man in a white transit van in Nonington – about a mile from the murder scene – two weeks ago.
He was distracted and the woman managed to flee in panic and called out for help.
And it's also alleged a woman was the victim of a "flasher" recently – although the incident was not reported to cops.
Officers are keen to speak to anyone in the area on Monday or Tuesday who may have seen something unusual or suspicious.
Anyone with information should call 0800 0514526.
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