Human remains were found in a suitcase outside an apartment complex on Long Island Tuesday, authorities said.
The body was found in a wooded area in Huntington Station just before noon, Suffolk County Police said.
A woman who lives nearby made the gruesome discovery as she noticed a foul smell near a suitcase, ABC7NY reported.
“I was walking past, I smelled something, I heard the flies, [I] looked over then I saw the suitcase,” she said.
The woman, who didn’t wish to be identified, said she then called police. When officers arrived, they opened the suitcase and saw what was inside.
“It was a body,” the woman said. “The smell was rancid, potent, something I’ve never smelled before.”
Some witnesses reported seeing a foot hanging out of the suitcase.
Another neighbor, Flavio Ribadeneyra, said he also noticed a foul smell when he arrived home Tuesday morning.
“This is unbelievable,” he told News 12 Long Island. “You would never think that something like that would happen in your building or around your building!”
A portion of Nassau Road, near the intersection with Woodhull Road, was closed off for hours during the initial investigation, Huntington Now reported.
Authorities have confirmed a decomposed body was stuffed inside the suitcase, though the identity of the victim or how the person was killed has yet to be determined.
Anyone with information about the case is urged to contact the Suffolk County Police Homicide Squad at (631) 852-6392. Those who wish to remain anonymous can contact Crime Stoppers by calling 1-800-220-TIPS or by downloading the P3 Tips app.