Teenager Gaia Pope died from hypothermia, an inquest has heard.
Dorset Coroner Rachael Griffin opened the hearing into the death of the 19-year-old student at Bournemouth Town Hall in Dorset on Tuesday.
The court heard that Miss Pope was reported missing by her family from her home near Swanage on November 7 last year.
Two men aged 19 and 49 and a 71-year-old woman, all from Swanage, were arrested on suspicion of murder following the disappearance, but were later released.
Police search teams found the teenager's body in undergrowth between Dancing Ledge and Anvil Point, close to the Swanage coastal path.
Coroner's officer Andrew Lord told the coroner that pathologist Dr Russell Delaney was initially unable to establish a cause of death, but following tests he was later able to say that Miss Pope had died from hypothermia.
The coroner adjourned the hearing until May 14 for a pre-inquest review.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here