DENVER -- A worker at a plumbing store in downtown Denver discovered a body inside a large steel drum Tuesday morning, police said.

The owner of Tony Capra Plumbing and Heating said he had his employees picking up trash in the parking lot when they saw a 55-gallon drum in the alley between Arapahoe and Lawrence streets.

They looked inside and saw blood, and that's when they called Denver police.

Police said the body was not dismembered.

It's not known how long the body had been in the barrel. The body was released to the coroner, who will determine the woman's race, manner and cause of death.

Business owners in the area said they did not see the barrel Monday night so it must have shown up in the alley sometime Tuesday morning, before 10 a.m., when it was discovered.

Neighbors are not surprised about the grisly discovery. They said the area is crime-ridden with drug dealers and transients constantly congregating and fighting. Denver Rescue Mission is just around the corner.

"Particularly frustrating is that the police consistently report to us that their hands are tied in dealing with the problem. They are restricted from moving people along that are loitering and doing bad things. They can't remove these encampments in the parking lot without giving three days of notice. I mean the city council has really hamstringed the police," said business owner Alex Burney.

Burney believes the problem stems from the Denver Rescue Mission, which he says can't handle all the people flowing in and out of the shelter.

Business owners said there was another homicide in the area a few months ago and they are tired of dealing with the crime.

Even though homicide detectives are investigating the case, police said it is standard protocol, and it's not known yet if the person died as a result of homicide, said police spokesman Sonny Jackson. Police said that they are currently conducting "a death investigation."

"We're not sure if this person went to sleep in the barrel and died. Or if there are suspicious causes. We will have to wait until we get the coroner's autopsy report back before we know exactly what the cause of death is," said Jackson.