Woman's body found in empty lot in West Pullman

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Chicago police are conducting a death investigation after a woman's body was found partially closed on the South Side.

Lovell Blackman told ABC7 Eyewitness News over the phone that he found her, cold and lifeless, around 5 a.m. Friday in an empty lot between abandoned homes in the 300-block of East 120th Place in the city's West Pullman neighborhood.

"First thing I thought of is I need to call 911 and somebody needs to be with me, just in case. This was my first time walking through this area and I just felt like, 'Oh my God, what's this world coming to?'" Blackman said.

Chopper 7HD spotted officers responding to the scene around 5:25 a.m. Investigators have not said how the woman died.

Some neighbors said they knew the woman, who they believe was homeless and didn't have family in the area. They were visibly upset by her death.

"No one deserves to die that way. A life is a life. At the end of the day, her life is valuable, just like anyone else's life is valuable. Someone didn't consider her life valuable and that's the sad truth," said Millicent Savage, who lives in the area.

A team from the Cook County medical examiner's office removed the body from the scene around 10 a.m. The woman's identity has not been released. An autopsy is planned.

Area South detectives are handling the investigation.