A woman's body was found lying in a ditch in Vineland, Ont. Sunday morning in what Niagara police are calling a suspicious death, causing residents to wonder if a pattern is forming.

A person passing by the area noticed the body lying in a ditch on Seventh Avenue near Victoria Avenue around 6:30 a.m. Sunday morning. The person called police who responded to the scene.

Police said the woman was pronounced dead at the scene. The victim's identity has not been released.

Police launched an investigation and expected to keep the surrounding area closed for several days while they comb the area for clues.

But residents of the small community about a ten-minute drive away from St. Catharines say this is not the first time an incident like this has happened in their area.

In 1999 another woman's body was discovered in a field less than a mile away from where Sunday's discovery was made. People in the community wonder if there is a pattern.

"Somebody is using this area to dump bodies, I guess," Vineland resident Shawn Stevenson said. "I don't know what to say."

Five women have been murdered in the Niagara Region in the past twelve years. Three of the victims were sex trade workers and two were exotic dancers.

Police are not jumping to any conclusions, saying it is too early in their investigation.

"We are not sure who this person is or whether this person fits the profile of those other victims," Staff Sgt. Cliff Sexton said.

An autopsy has been scheduled for Monday at Hamilton General Hospital to determine the cause of death.

Last year, Michael Durant, 33, of Niagara Falls was charged in connection with the murder of two women, Cassey Chicocki and Diane Dimitri. He is in jail waiting for trial.

Three of the other murders remain unsolved. Police have not ruled out the work of a possible serial killer in relation to those deaths.

Investigators ask anyone with information about Sunday's incident to call Niagara police at (905) 688-4111 ext. 4200 or Crime Stoppers at 1 (800) 222-TIPS (8477).

With a report from CTV's John Musselman