Story highlights A woman and man are charged with abuse of a corpse, which is a felony

Investigators say they believe the man died in New York state

(CNN) Deputies didn't start investigating the man's death until somebody unzipped a blue suitcase and found his corpse, said Rick Hickman, sheriff of Prairie County, Arkansas.

Investigators said a woman and man drove the suitcase containing the body 1,300 miles from Johnstown, a small town in upstate New York, to central Arkansas -- but they don't know why.

The man has not been publicly identified, but authorities say he was in his 80s and comes from Johnstown. Arkansas Online reported that a preliminary autopsy shows he died of natural causes.

Hickman said his department's involvement started last Sunday.

Michael Wayne Stivers

"We got a call from someone in the Cross Roads community here in town complaining of a blue Toyota pickup truck filled with furniture and junk a couple was trying to (sell) in a parking lot," he said. "One of the patrons of this sale went to the back of the truck and unzipped a larger blue suitcase and saw a body."

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