Amtrak workers discovered a body Friday afternoon near the railroad tracks in Perryman, police said.
The body of an unknown person was found at approximately 2 p.m. in a secluded field about 200 feet from the railroad tracks near Chelsea Road, in a rural area near Aberdeen Proving Ground and the Rite Aid distribution center, said Harford County Sheriff?s Office spokesman Bob Thomas.
The age, sex, race and identity of the victim have yet to be determined, Thomas said.
“It appears it had been there for several days,” he said. “When a body has been decomposing for three or four days in the heat, it?s very difficult to determine.”
Amtrak employees had been working on the tracks when they detected a pungent and persistent odor, Thomas said. Thinking it might have been a dead animal, they set off into the field to find it and discovered the body.
Deputies were called in to confirm that the remains were human, and the Harford County Sheriff?s Office Criminal Investigation Division and Evidence Collection teams came to collect the remains and investigate the scene.
The State Medical Examiner?s Office in Baltimore took custody of the body for an autopsy, and sheriff?s deputies are hoping the person?s identity and cause of death will be revealed, Thomas said.
Anyone with information regarding the identity of the victim is asked to contact the Sheriff?s Office Criminal Investigation Division at 410-836-5434. All information will be kept strictly confidential.
