The elephant was part of a herd that crossed to Odisha border from Dalama Elephant Sanctuary in Jharkhand, said Ashok Kumar Das, Range Officer of Rairangpur Forest Division.
Forest officials suspect that poachers might have taken away ivory along with the head after killing the jumbo.
The body was detected near Dusura Hills in the dense forest under Bijatola block by the local people this morning, Das said.
The exact cause of the elephant's death will be ascertained only after post-mortem, he said.