Maryland State Police were investigating a possible homicide outside of Aberdeen Wednesday evening after a passing motorist noticed a woman's body inside a sleeping bag by the side of the road.

After the 911 call for a suspicious bag in the 400 block of Bush Chapel Road came in around 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, state troopers and Aberdeen police discovered a sleeping bag with the body of an adult African-American woman inside, said State Police spokesman Greg Shipley.

“Anything is possible at this point, given the suspicious circumstances,” he said. “We'll know more after an autopsy.”

Homicide detectives were called in to investigate, and the body was transported to the Office of the State Medical Examiner for an autopsy to determine the cause and manner of death.

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Shipley said the body was found along the road on private property, adjacent to Interstate 95.

“Though it's a rural area, you can still hear the traffic on 95 very clearly,” he said.

At this point, investigators are ruling nothing out, including the possibility that the body was dumped from the highway, Shipley said. It was also possible it had been there at the side of the road since as early as 6 a.m., he said.

Police are not yet releasing the woman's identity until an autopsy has been completed and next of kin has been notified.

If the medical examiner rules the woman's death a homicide, it will be the fourth in Harford County this year.