Woman Found Dead in Shirley Parking Lot, Death Deemed Non-Criminal

Suffolk County Police found a woman dead inside a vehicle in the parking lot at South Port Shopping Center in Shirley just before 4 p.m. on Saturday, March 8, with the incident reported publicly on March 9, 2026.

Investigators classified the death as non-criminal in nature, according to police. The woman's name was not released, and no further details about her identity or the circumstances surrounding her death were made available.

The Suffolk County Medical Examiner's Office will determine the cause of death, police said. That process typically follows a formal autopsy, though no timeline was provided and no findings have been released.

South Port Shopping Center sits along the William Floyd Parkway corridor in Shirley, serving a community that stretches across the Shirley-Mastic area. Police released no information about the vehicle, the specific location within the parking lot, or how the woman came to be there.

The designation of "non-criminal in nature" indicates investigators found no immediate evidence of foul play, though the medical examiner's findings will be the definitive determination of how the woman died. No additional police statements were issued following the initial report.