A 28-year-old man has been charged with murdering a woman whose body was found in late December at a Kwun Tong housing estate.

The arrest was made following investigations carried out after officers received reports on December 29 that the 35-year-old woman had gone missing upon leaving her flat in Sau Mau Ping early that day.

Investigators traced her movements to a Hei Wah House unit in Lok Wah South Estate, where she was found with injuries to her head and body hidden under a bed that came with a storage unit.

The carcasses of three dogs and a cat were also found in the unit.

Officers said the suspect, an African, left for the mainland the same day.

"We immediately requested assistance from mainland law enforcement agencies to help track down the suspect as soon as possible," superintendent Wong Yick-lung said.

"We were told days ago that mainland authorities had managed to apprehend the suspect and the force took custody of the suspect at Shenzhen Bay Port on January 16."

Officers said the force would continue to look into whether the suspect had anything to do with the pets' death or whether another person was involved in his flight from Hong Kong.

The suspect is set to appear at Kwun Tong Magistrates' Court on Monday.