Suffolk County Police Homicide Squad detectives responded after receiving a call reporting suspicious activity in the wooded area next to 320 Nassau Rd. around 11:50 p.m.
When officers arrived at the scene, they found a body in a suitcase next to an apartment complex at the location.
Police respond to scene where witnesses describe seeing body in suitcase on Long Island
A neighbor told Eyewitness News that an odor stopped her in her tracks.
"The police came and lifted it and saw it was a body," the neighbor said. "The smell was rancid. Potent. Something I've smelled before."
Residents walking their dogs Tuesday night had their routes interrupted by police tape. The quiet neighborhood is rattled by the chilling discovery.
"When you hear suitcase, body -- it's just sad. Very sad," said one woman.
A resident at the apartment complex told Eyewitness News that she heard a woman screaming around 3 a.m. on Sunday.
Authorities are hoping to answer key questions about the victim, and find the killer, who is still at large.
The Suffolk County Medical Examiner's Office will conduct an autopsy to determine the victim's identity and the cause of death.
The investigation is ongoing.
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