Body stuffed inside suitcase behind NY apartment building

A body was found inside a suitcase behind an apartment building on Long Island, according to police, sparking a law enforcement investigation.

The body was discovered just before noon on Tuesday in a wooded area along Nassau Road in Huntington Station, New York, Suffolk County Police said. It was stuffed inside a suitcase that had been left behind an apartment building, according to police.

Detectives responded to the scene, and crime tape was seen up along a stretch of the road as evidence was collected. A foot or a shoe appeared to be hanging out of the luggage.

"I came over and I got out of the car and I approached it and I said 'Oh my God it stinks here,' and the flies. And I said, we need to call the police," said Chris Smocer, whose daughter first noticed the black suitcase with a foul odor during a morning walk.

The person has not yet been identified. Police have not shared how they believe the victim was killed. The county medical examiner will determine a cause of death.

Further information was not immediately available. An investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information regarding the body is asked to contact Suffolk County Police Homicide Squad detectives at (631) 852-6392 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-220-TIPS.