MAYFIELD - Authorities are trying to identify a woman found dead Monday by town workers in a field off remote and hilly Tyrrell Road.
"The body is bruised in a lot of different places," Fulton County Sheriff Thomas Lorey said at the scene. "I think the assailant probably knew the victim."
Lorey said the case is being labeled a "suspicious death." He said the naked body of the woman, who might have been Hispanic, was found about 10:30 a.m. today on the dead-end road by three town highway workers who were collecting garbage in the area of Tyrrell and Mountain roads. He said the woman appears to have been between 25 and 45 years of age, about 5 feet 4 inches tall, with a slender build and long brown hair.
Article Photos
Fulton County Sheriff Thomas Lorey and District Attorney Louise Sira stand on Tyrell Road on Mayfield near the spot where a woman's body was discovered this morning. Photo by Bill Trojan/The Leader-Herald
Lorey said the woman had a tattoo of a flower on her left breast and a surgical scar on her right knee.
Her body was removed from the scene this afternoon, and an autopsy was to be performed Tuesday morning at the Albany Medical Center Hospital.
Lorey said it's possible the body was brought to the Tyrrell Road area over the weekend. He said there was no blood at the scene and no immediate indication she had been sexually assaulted, although the autopsy may reveal more information.
The road has about four or five year-round homes, with several camps near its end. Lorey said certain sections of Tyrrell Road have been known to be party spots.
Lorey said many people in the area have already been interviewed, and none of the neighbors saw or heard anything suspicious.
Lorey said anyone who can help identify the victim or offer any other information should call the Sheriff's Office at 736-2100. Information will be kept confidential.
District Attorney Louise Sira, who was also at the scene today, said the public can also call the "100 percent anonymous" Fulton County Crime Tips Hotline at 736-5561.
"Somebody, somewhere wishes this girl would come home," Sira said.
This is a breaking story. More details will be published in Tuesday's print and online editions.