ABC news reporter murddered in the Cayo, District, Belize

An executive producer at ABC-Channel 7 has been found murdered in Belize, according to police in the Central American country.

Anne Swaney, 39, who lived in Ravenswood on the North Side, was reported missing Thursday evening and her bruised body was discovered Friday morning in the Mopan River near a deck where her belongings were found, the Belize News reported, quoting police.

She had suffered blunt force injuries to her head and neck, and her death was being investigated as a homicide, it said.

Channel 7 reported that Swaney was on a vacation in western Belize, a popular tourist spot, and was staying at the Nabitunich Resort near the town of San Jose Succotz.

The owner of the resort reported Swaney missing around 5 p.m. Thursday after noticing she had not returned from an area near a horse riding trail where she practiced yoga, the Belize News reported.Police found her belongings on a deck along the river bank but saw no sign of her, it said.  The search resumed the next day and her body was found floating in the river near the deck, it said.

Swaney was executive producer of online operations at Channel 7, according to the station.

"She was a trailblazer in the digital news space and was one of our first website employees," John H. Idler, president and general manager at Channel 7, said in a statement. "Anne helped us evolve our business and our newsroom, but most importantly, she was a kind person who always had a smile and a positive attitude."

Her family, from Missouri, confirmed the death but did not want to comment further.

The U.S. State Department said it has been informed of the death. "We offer our sincerest condolences to her family and loved ones on their loss," said a department spokesman in Washington.