Franklin County authorities are investigating a death after a woman's body was found Thursday along Lightfoot Lane, less than a mile north of Woods Reservoir.
Franklin County Sheriff Tim Fuller said Friday by phone the authorities are still in the early stages of the investigation. Fuller said investigators knew the identity of the woman Thursday but couldn't immediately release it until her family was notified.
The deceased woman was identified as Portia Renee Duncan, of Winchester, Tennessee, department spokesman Sam Davidson said Friday in a phone interview. Duncan had been reported missing earlier Thursday by someone close to her, Davidson said.
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Duncan was found unresponsive by a passerby just before 10 a.m. CST Thursday, and she was officially pronounced dead at Southern Tennessee Regional Health Systems hospital before being transported to Nashville for an autopsy, Davidson said.
Lightfoot Lane is a narrow, winding tar-and-chip road in a rural area of northern Franklin County made up of farmland peppered by scattered homes. Duncan's body was found close to the intersection of Lightfoot Lane and AEDC Road near one of the only homes on the lane, according to authorities.
Davidson said the investigation is ongoing and more will be known when the autopsy is complete.
Meanwhile, anyone with information about the case should contact Sgt. Todd Hindman at 931-968-6050 or call the Franklin County Consolidated Communication Center at 931-967-2331.
Contact Ben Benton at bbenton@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6569.