Nov 19, 2009 - 02:46 PM

By Jeff Mitchell

WHITBY -- An investigation continues into the death of a woman whose body was discovered Thursday morning behind a Whitby apartment building.

Durham police are calling the death suspicious, but haven't revealed a cause of death or indicated that foul play was involved. A spokesperson would not comment when asked if there were any obvious signs of trauma to the body.

"We are looking at all avenues to this investigation," Sergeant Nancy van Rooy said.

Police were called to 200 White Oaks Crt. shortly before 10 a.m. Thursday after a man walking near a ravine at the south end of the street found the body, Sgt. van Rooy said. It's unknown how long the woman, believed to be in her 40s, had been there, she said.

When asked about reports from people in the area the woman was partially clad, she replied: "The female has been found with some clothes on."

Sgt. van Rooy wouldn't comment on whether police had identified the deceased woman or if next of kin had been contacted. But shortly before noon, a distraught woman arrived at the scene accompanied by a man, ducked under police tape and spoke briefly to a duty inspector. After a brief exchange, the woman began sobbing loudly.

"Oh my God!" the woman shouted over and again, "Oh my God!"

She was hustled into a police vehicle and driven away from the scene.

Soon after the discovery of the woman's body, police and paramedics arrived and converged at the rear of the apartments, one of a cluster of highrise apartment blocks south of Dundas Street. Their attention was focused on an open area to the southwest of the building, near the bank of a ravine.

Officers interviewed witnesses, including the man who made the initial discovery of the body, while other cops strung up yellow police tape on what became a wide perimeter around the building. Curious residents emerging from the building asked what was going on while others looked on from balconies.

Resident Mike Bartholomew, watching from his ground-floor apartment near the investigation scene, said he wasn't surprised by the incident.

"It's not the safest neighbourhood here anyway," he said. "There's been issues back in the back lot here before.

"I know the police have been trying to clean up these buildings for years," he said.

Mr. Bartholomew said he hadn't noticed anything unusual prior to the discovery of the woman's body.

"I've got two dogs," he said. "Anything out of the ordinary, they're barking."

Throughout the morning, police interviewed witnesses. Homicide detectives were called in to assist with the investigation. Sgt. van Rooy said officers would be canvassing the neighbourhood as the investigation continued.