SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine — A woman was found dead in South Portland on Tuesday, and police said Wednesday they are investigating her death as suspicious.
South Portland police officers were dispatched to Clark's Pond Parkway, near Home Depot, shortly before 4:15 p.m. Tuesday for a report of a body on an embankment next to a sidewalk, the department said in a release Wednesday.
Police located the body and quickly determined that it was a deceased woman, the release stated.
The Maine State Police Major Crimes Unit, which is leading the investigation, joined South Portland police detectives and crime scene technicians at the scene Tuesday.
"This is an active investigation and we ask for patience as we try to identify the victim in this incident," South Portland police said.
A nearby resident named James, who declined to share his last name, said he saw a forensic truck and three police cars as he drove by the scene Tuesday evening, which caught him a little off guard.
"We were just like 'Oh.' You know we never see that much commotion back here because it's a quiet back area," James said. "I've lived here for six years, and I've always felt safe here, but I guess from now on I'll definitely try to stay more vigilant."
Police said they do not believe there is a danger to the public in connection with the woman's death.
Maine Department of Public Safety spokesperson Shannon Moss told NEWS CENTER Maine that the Office of Chief Medical Examiner in Augusta is performing an autopsy Wednesday.
Officials ask that anyone who may have information call Det. Scott Corbett with the South Portland Police Department at 207-799-5511, ext. 7449.