The NYPD is investigating the death of a woman found underneath an overpass near Webster Avenue and the Cross Bronx Expressway in Tremont on Wednesday afternoon.
Police say officers discovered the woman unconscious just before 12:40 p.m. near the sidewalk under the overpass. EMS responded and pronounced her dead at the scene.
Investigators spent much of the evening searching the area for evidence and reviewing surveillance video from nearby businesses as they worked to determine what led up to the woman’s death.
When News 12 arrived, the woman’s body could be seen underneath a sheet surrounded by piles of garbage near the roadway.
Neighbors tell News 12 they noticed a strong odor coming from the area for days before the discovery.
There was early speculation that the woman may have been pregnant, but sources tell News 12 it is far too early to determine that. Sources say decomposition and the extreme heat may have caused swelling, complicating the investigation.
As of Wednesday afternoon, police have not said whether criminality is suspected. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner is working to determine the woman’s cause of death.