LI woman found dead amid bitter cold

Homicide detectives are investigating the death of a woman found along Route 25A in Rocky Point to determine whether she died from exposure amid bitterly cold overnight temperatures Thursday.

Suffolk County police did not release the name and age of the woman, but did say they believed she was homeless.

Local merchants found her body at 5:30 a.m. Friday, police said. Police said the death does not appear to be criminal. Temperatures overnight were in the low to mid-20s.

The woman might be the second person to die as a result of exposure to the frigid temperatures this week in Suffolk. Police said a man, 87, was found in a parking lot near his West Babylon home early Thursday - and later died at a hospital. Police said he was not dressed for the subfreezing temperatures. A cause of death has not yet been determined, police said.