Woman's body found at Shirley Beach, police say

Suffolk County homicide detectives are investigating the death of a woman whose body was found floating near the shore of Shirley Beach on Sunday morning, police said.

The woman, who has not been identified, was found near the high tide line at 8:52 a.m., not far from the public bathrooms at the Shirley park, police said.

An autopsy will be conducted by the Office of the Suffolk County Medical Examiner to determine the cause of death, which appears to be noncriminal, police said.

Todd Shusterman, who lives across from the Brookhaven Town beach on Grandview Drive, said he found the body when he went outside to check on his wife, who had gone out kayaking with a friend earlier Sunday.

“At first I thought it was rocks, but then I realized this is not an area that has large rocks,” Shusterman said. "I took a few more steps and said, 'It sure looks like a body.'"

Shusterman and neighbor Judith Cannizzaro said town attendants who were cleaning the park assisted them with the discovery.

The discovery was a shock to neighbors and beachgoers at the park along the east side of Bellport Bay, about 2½ miles north of Smith Point.

“It’s a very family oriented park,” Shusterman said. “Kids come down and, especially with the way the weather has been, they enjoy it. The sounds of summer.”

Police closed off the park for more than three hours as the investigation continued. No other details were immediately available.

By Grant Parpan

grant.parpan@newsday.com@GrantParpan

Grant Parpan covers Suffolk County courts and federal courts for Newsday. A Long Island native, he joined Newsday in 2022.