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Authorities in Medford, Massachusetts, are investigating the death of a Medford woman after her body was found in an enclosed area behind her home.

Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan said the body of 61-year-old Barbara Hovey Novaes was found Monday morning in a recycling container under the back porch of the duplex where she lived at 21 Emery St.

Ryan said the victim's son, who is in his 20s, called Medford police at about 6:40 a.m. to report that he could not find his mother after waking up. The young man said he last saw his mother at about 4:30 p.m. Sunday at the home, which they shared. He said he believed that at that time that she was going to leave the house to go to a nail appointment.

According to Ryan, Hovey Novaes' son told police that the front door to the house was left open when he woke up Monday morning. He also said his mother's car was still on the property and that he found her car keys, phone and purse inside the home.

Medford police then responded to the Emery Street home to investigate. Ryan said a Medford police officer found Hovey Novaes' body under the porch at about 8:30 a.m.

"Based on the circumstances and the location of the body, this is being investigated as a suspicious death," Ryan said.

“Barbara Novaes was a beloved member of the Medford community and a very active parishioner at Grace (Episcopal) Church,” said Medford Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn. “I didn’t know her personally, but I know many who —she has touched their lives.”

There was a large police presence on Emery Street Monday evening, as the roadway was blocked off and several homes were roped off with crime tape.

The duplex where Hovey Novaes lived is located less than a mile from the Tufts University campus.

Crime scene investigators were spotted taking pictures through the open door of the home and a tent was brought into the backyard, where Sky 5 spotted a number of police officers investigating the area under and around a rear porch.

Ryan said Emery Street would remain closed until the late hours of Monday night with a police presence in the area.

The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner will determine the cause and manner of Hovey Novaes' death. Ryan said the victim's body had no obvious signs of trauma.

Ryan said investigators are asking anyone who may have been in the Emery Street neighborhood Sunday night or early Monday morning, has video of the area of Emery and Winthrop streets, or has any information should call Medford police at 781-395-1212.

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