The tragic discovery of an Ontario woman's body in her home in England has prompted police to launch a hunt for her former boyfriend.

Angela Hoyt, 34, was found dead in her home in Hatfield, north of London, on Tuesday.

Police officers had travelled to her home in response to an inquiry from her Canadian family, who were concerned about her.

It is believed that Hoyt died sometime between Sunday and Tuesday, the day that her body was found.

Hertfordshire police are now searching for Martin Collett, the former boyfriend of the victim. He is wanted on suspicion of her murder.

On Friday, police were searching a local property known as Hatfield House where Collett had reportedly been spotted the day before.

Hoyt was a communications adviser for the Red Cross and recently spent three months working in Pakistan. She had only been home for a week before she died.

Her family described her as a "very ambitious and driven" woman who loved to travel.

"Angela had an infectious smile, it lit up the room," the family said in a statement.

"She had a passion for human rights and wanted to use her work to improve the lives of those less fortunate."

Red Cross officials said the news of Hoyt's death "devastated" her former colleagues.

Hoyt was born in Windsor, Ont., and moved to the United Kingdom as an adult.

She studied journalism at the University of Wales and later worked in media and communications.

Hoyt is survived by her parents, an identical twin sister, her brother-in-law, and a niece and nephew.

With files from The Canadian Press