LENOIR CITY, Tenn. (WATE) - Police in Lenoir City have identified a man after his body was found Thursday morning in a wooded area.

LCPD identified Rudy Stricker, 37, as the man found dead at a vacant property in the area of 10th Avenue in Lenoir City. 

Police Chief Don White says a resident out walking around 10th Avenue and Kingston Street found the body face down and called the police. 

White says the body had been there for several days, but it is premature to speculate on the cause of death. The body has been taken to the Regional Forensic Center in Knoxville for an autopsy.

The cause of death is not yet known. Preliminary autopsy results are expected later today.

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Neighbor: Terrible odor leads to body in Lenoir City

LENOIR CITY, Tenn. (WVLT) -- A neighbor told WVLT News he found a body on property near his Lenoir City home on Thursday, May 16.

Preston Sutton said he thought he smelled a dead animal but upon further investigation he said he discovered a human body in the woods behind his home.

Sutton told WVLT News the body belonged to a man who was wearing a shirt but no pants and appeared to be in his mid 30's. Sutton knows his neighbors but said he did not recognize this man.

Sutton said the body had likely been there for a few weeks.

Lenoir City Police Chief Don White told WVLT News investigators identified the body but were still in the process of notifying family members.

The body was found near a creek about a five to 10 minute walk from Sutton's home. He described the neighborhood as a rural area where most homes sit on acreage.

Chief White said officers processed the area as a crime scene but wouldn't say whether foul play was suspected. "Anytime we find a body we work it as a scene and collect any evidence."

Chief White said a medical examiner was working to determine a cause of death.