Workers Found A Suitcase Next To A Road. They Found A Woman's Body Inside

Authorities in a wealthy Connecticut town are investigating the death of a woman whose body was found bound and zipped inside a red suitcase Tuesday morning.

Highway workers discovered the bag near a quiet, wooded neighborhood in Greenwich, Connecticut, a town of 60,000 people located 30 miles northeast of New York City. They were on a routine morning drive, authorities said, when they spotted the suitcase about 15 feet from the shoulder of a paved, two-lane road that runs through lush, affluent neighborhoods.

They reported to police that they had found a body, and patrol officers with the Greenwich Police Department responded to the scene and confirmed the victim was dead.

The woman has not been identified, but law enforcement said her death is being investigated as a homicide. Authorities have received numerous tips from the public and said in a statement that detectives have "some leads" on the woman's identity.

"It's always sensitive to us that every time we have a tragedy like this there is a family connected to it," Greenwich Police Capt. Robert Berry said at a press conference Tuesday afternoon. "Our heartfelt thoughts and prayers go out to that family, wherever they may be."

Authorities estimate the woman's age is between 18 and 30 years old, but they did not release any further identifying details about her appearance, race or ethnicity. The woman was found clothed, with her hands and feet bound, inside the suitcase, which Berry described as full-size - larger than what could be used as an airplane carry-on.

Though police have determined the woman was not killed in the location where she was found, Berry said at the press conference Tuesday that authorities still don't know where the killing took place. Additionally, authorities did not release information on the time or cause of death.

Greenwich residents spoke with the local newspaper, the Greenwich Time, about a growing uneasiness over news of the killing. The area is known for being safe and quiet, they said, and it was ranked the 20th wealthiest zip code in the country by Bloomberg News.

"My gut is it probably happened somewhere else, but these days, you never know," Scott Chiappetta, who works at a preschool in the neighborhood, told the Greenwich Time. "It's very quiet. Nothing ever really happens around here, other than [traffic] from the firehouse. It feels safe."

Another area resident connected the killing to the pervasive, societal issue of violence against women.

"It's a national problem and it always has been," the woman said. "It's sickening."

Chanya Champagne, who works at a local breakfast restaurant, told ABC News she was "shocked" that a crime like this - with details she had only encountered before in TV shows and movies - had happened so close to home.

"I just hope they get their information and figure it out," Champagne said. "It's just crazy knowing there's a murderer on the loose."

But authorities cautioned there was no known reason to believe those in the neighborhood were at risk. Police spokesman Lt. John Slusarz told the local newspaper it was an "isolated incident."