A man was garbage picking about 1:30 p.m. on New Year's Eve in the 1500 block of Maple Street when he noticed an unresponsive woman near a dumpster in a parking lot, Des Plaines police said in a statement.
The man went home and called 911, police said. Officers responded, and the woman was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police said they suspected foul play.
Autopsy results say she died of strangulation, and her death was ruled a homicide, the Cook County medical examiner's office said. Her name has not been released.
The medical examiner's office initially indicated her age was 57, but later confirmed it was 24.
Detectives with the Major Crimes Task Force Forensics Team are investigating.
Sun-Times Media contributed to this report.