Nude Body Thrown Over Fence Under I-65 Bridge

INDIANAPOLIS -- Police are trying to determine the identity of a woman whose unclothed body was found in a gutter beneath an Interstate 65 overpass Thursday morning.

Indianapolis Metro police said the woman's body had been thrown over a three-foot chain link fence at 12th Street and Central Avenue.

Two men discovered the body at about 8:30 a.m. and notified a man who lives nearby, who called 911, 6News' Jack Rinehart reported.

"Some black people stopped me and said that there is a nude, white female under the underpass," the caller told a 911 dispatcher.

The body was lying next to a sidewalk that runs along Central Avenue.

Investigators have scant information to work with as they try to unravel the case.

The woman was described as white, about 4 feet 10 inches tall and 110 pounds. Investigators said they think the woman is in her late 30s. She had auburn hair with gray roots.

"As soon as we get her identified, that will help us a lot more with talking to people that may know her," said IMPD Detective Bob Flack.

Police were unable to identify her through fingerprints, but determined that she did not have a criminal history in Marion County.

Authorities released two pictures of tattoos on the woman's body in hopes that someone may recognize them.

Investigators said they did not yet know the cause and manner of the woman's death, but they think she died elsewhere.

IMPD said dark tire tracks were evident on the sidewalk near where the body was found, but they were not sure if that discovery was relevant to the case.

Police said they found no apparent signs of trauma before they removed the body. An autopsy is scheduled for Friday.

Traffic was blocked at the underpass for several hours as investigators scoured the scene in search of clues. Residents said the body's discovery worries them about what is going on in the neighborhood.

"This is big time for something down here," said Dan Conn. "It's a relatively nice neighborhood, but things happen everywhere."

IMPD asked anyone who might have seen anything suspicious in the area on Wednesday night or Thursday morning to call Crime Stoppers at 317-262-TIPS.