Police urge public help after body discovery

Police have sealed off a suburban street and launched an investigation after the body of a woman was found near a railway line.

A major investigation is underway after the body of a woman was discovered near railway tracks.

Police said the woman was located around 9.45am on Friday in Townsville on Railway Ave by a member of the public, who immediately contacted emergency services.

The area has been declared a crime scene and detectives are treating the death as suspicious.

Detective Acting Inspector Phil Watts said investigators were still working to formally identify the woman and had not yet determined her age.

Officers are urging anyone with information or dashcam footage captured between Monday, June 17, and Friday morning around Doorey St and Queens Rd to come forward.

“We’re very early on in this investigation so any information from the public would be greatly appreciated,” Inspector Watts said.

“We have a number of investigation areas and (are) following up on a number of different lines of inquiry.”

A forensic team remains at the scene conducting a detailed examination, which Inspector Watts said would take time to complete.

“It takes a degree of time and we’re still working through that, it has to be done methodically,” he said.

“We’re not ruling anything out.”

While the cause of death remains unclear, police have reassured the community there is no evidence of an ongoing threat.

Inspector Watts said the fact the woman was found in a public location made any information from witnesses or passers-by all the more important.

“Particularly given the case the deceased was located in a public area,” he said.

Police have asked that people stay away from Railway Ave until 9pm while the forensic investigation continues.

“We will leave no stone unturned to ascertain what happened here,” Inspector Watts said.

Railway Ave has been closed to all traffic, with police cordoning off the road and advising motorists to seek alternative routes.

Queensland Rail has temporarily closed the rail line, although train services have not been impacted at this stage.

Anyone who was travelling through the area this morning is urged to check their dashcam footage and report anything suspicious to police.

Originally published as Police urge public help after body discovery