A teenager riding a four-wheeler through a patch of pine woods Tuesday afternoon off Tifton-Eldorado and Babe Hall roads discovered the body of an as yet unidentified person.

Joseph Chanen Rowe, 19, of Tifton, said he drove his four-wheeler around a fence and discovered the body.

The body, which was said to be in an advanced state of decomposition, was found in the patch of woods near the intersection of Tifton-Eldorado and Babe Hall roads near the Quick Buys Food Store and across from Pine Hill Trailer Park.

A passerby said he travels Tifton-Eldorado Road frequently and had recently noticed a strong foul odor in the area.

Tift County Sheriff Gary Vowell and several investigators from his office and Tift County Coroner Steve Wood were on the scene for several hours Tuesday afternoon.

Agents with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation arrived later and gathered evidence from the scene.

“We treat them all as homicides until we know different,” said Major Bobby Brannen of the TCSO.

Brannen, who was on the scene, said he “wouldn’t go out on a limb” and state positively the gender or race of the body, but that it appeared to be male because of the type of clothing that was on the body.

Brannen said a portion of the investigation would be to check for any missing persons reports filed with local law enforcement.

Capt. Mike Walker, who was also on the scene, said it had not been determined if the body had any form of identification on it and that the body would not be moved until GBI crime technicians arrived.

Tift County Coroner Steve Wood said the body would be sent to the GBI Crime Lab in Atlanta for an autopsy to determine the cause of death.

To contact senior reporter Angie Thompson, call 382-4321.