MALTBY — A Snohomish County litter cleanup crew discovered human remains Wednesday east of Maltby.

The litter crew was filling garbage bags with trash around 2:30 p.m., when the team found the remains off of a bend in Downes Road, north of the Golf Club at Echo Falls along Highway 522.

Major Crimes detectives with the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office and an investigator with the medical examiner’s office responded to the scene. A suitcase and a blanket were recovered nearby. Deputies believe the person had been deceased for an extended length of time, sheriff’s spokeswoman Shari Ireton said.

The body had decomposed to the point that the gender of the person wasn’t clear, but investigators were able to confirm that the remains were human.

Downes was blocked at Fales Road for much of Wednesday afternoon, at the rural scene seven miles southwest of Monroe. The road is lined with thick trees, green brush and leafy shrubs.

Authorities were working to identify the person, and to determine the cause of death.