Woman's body found at White Pines near Bensenville

A woman was found dead Thursday morning on the grounds of White Pines Golf Club near Bensenville, police said, and they're calling it a homicide.

A 37-year-old woman was found by a groundskeeper about 8 a.m. near the entrance of White Pines Golf Club and Banquets, 500 W. Jefferson St. Police think she was the victim of a homicide that occurred on the 11500 block of Grand Avenue in unincorporated Cook County near Melrose Park.

"We got the call at 8:26 a.m. and we got there less than a minute later, but it wouldn't have mattered. She was severely beaten," Bensenville Fire Chief Mike Spain said.

Fire officials turned the scene over the Cook County sheriff's office and the DuPage County coroner, who were there throughout the day investigating. The golf course is in unincorporated DuPage County.

The woman had severe head injuries, police sources said. A brightly covered cloth was found hanging from a branch near where she was discovered. Police said she may have been dumped there sometime in the night.

The golf course was closed for the day following the discovery, said Rick Robbins, executive director of the Bensenville Park District, which oversees the course.

"We had golfers here at the time, and we did close it once everything came to light," Robbins said. "Those golfers finished, and we escorted them out the service entrance on the other side of the course."

Neighbors in a nearby subdivision knew something was wrong when they saw deputies rather than golfers out on the course, ABC 7 Chicago reported.

"It is very surprising that so close to home something like this could happen. It's pretty scary," Katie Dipietra said.

"The other day I just took my son there to play Pokemon Go. And it's just really scary hearing something like that happening so close to home," Amanda Anaya said.

The DuPage County coroner's office has scheduled an autopsy for Friday morning, Coroner Richard Jorgensen said.