A 50-year-old woman was found dead in a culvert near Hyde Street and Jackson Heights in the Town of Barker on Monday, after a United States Postal Service carrier spotted her unresponsive and called it in. Broome County Sheriff's Office road patrol deputies responded at about 12:24 p.m., along with first responders and emergency medical services, but the woman was pronounced dead at the scene.
According to wnbf.com, the carrier had found an unresponsive woman in the culvert and alerted authorities, who arrived shortly afterward. The outlet reports that investigators have since ordered an autopsy as they work to determine the circumstances surrounding her death. As of Tuesday, neither her identity nor a cause or manner of death had been made public.
Identity Withheld as Family Is Notified
Authorities have not released the woman's name while they work to notify her next of kin, the same report notes. Death investigations typically withhold a person's identity until family members have been told, a standard practice that leaves many of the basic questions in this case still unanswered for now.
The Sheriff's Office has also not released a cause or manner of death, per the same account, meaning it remains unclear how the woman came to be in the culvert or what led to her death. CNY News similarly reported that deputies are investigating the circumstances surrounding her death, with no further details released.
No Threat to the Public, Sheriff's Office Says
Despite the unanswered questions, the Broome County Sheriff's Office said there is no immediate threat to the public, according to the same wnbf.com report. wicz.com similarly confirmed that the Sheriff's Office is investigating the death of a 50-year-old woman in the Town of Barker.
The investigation remains active, and the Sheriff's Office says it will share additional information once it concludes, the report states. For now, residents in the Town of Barker are left waiting on the outcome of the autopsy and further word from investigators.
