Like I said, it is often difficult for a layman to be able to determine how long a body has been decomposing. A "while" is a very broad term, given that they didn't state whether it was almost a skeleton or just badly decomposed.
This will sound macabre and I apologize, but how long for hair to decompose? I suppose clothing could give clues, but I am curious how the body was noted to be female. Perhaps the hair?