A police investigation is underway after a corpse was found stuffed into a suitcase floating on Lake Merritt in Oakland, California.

The suitcase was found by a team of volunteers with the Lake Merritt Institute working to clean up the lake at around 11 a.m. local time on Tuesday.

“We said, ‘Wow! Wow! This thing is heavy.’ Normally, we see luggage in the lake, and sometimes it’s full of clothes. Nothing like this,” volunteer Kevin Shomo told the Mercury News.

The Oakland Police Department said the body had suffered multiple injuries, according to the Mercury News. The department is also working to find out how long the suitcase had been in the water, and where along the lakeshore it was discarded.

“Part of the investigation is trying to determine where the body could have floated from. It could be any part of the lake, and we’re looking at all those possible outcomes,” Capt. Alan Yu told KTVU-TV.

Mr. Shomo told KTVU-TV that the corpse belonged to a man who appeared to be in his mid-30s.

The specific nature of the injuries was not specified, and the identity of the victim is being withheld pending notification of the next of kin.

• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.