An islander walking along the beach at Hawley Cove discovered a body that had washed ashore in Eagle Harbor just east of the ferry terminal Tuesday afternoon.

The body was discovered just before 3 p.m. Aug. 30.

Bainbridge Island Police Chief Matthew Hamner said an autopsy was planned, and authorities are expecting to learn the identity of the deceased by the end of the week.

There was no immediate determination of how long the body had been exposed to the elements, but Hamner said the body had a “significant amount of decomposition.”

The case is being handled as a death investigation.

“We documented the scene and got the coroner to come and take possession of the body,” Hamner said. “They will obviously do their investigation and determine the manner and cause of death.”

The gender of the deceased and other details were not available.

Hamner said more information would not be released at this point in the investigation because authorities are trying to be sensitive to families who may have family members who are missing or who have been suicidal.

“The minute we give any type of description it can create a significant amount of anxiety … and we don’t want to contribute to that,” Hamner said.