The case is being investigated as a crime, according to the San Mateo Daily Journal.

The body was discovered by a passenger on a northbound Caltrain before 10 a.m., Dunn said.

The passenger notified a conductor that it appeared someone had been struck by a train just north of the South San Francisco Caltrain station, near East Grand Avenue and Executive Drive on the east side of Highway 101.

"The passenger thought the victim may have been hit by a train," Dunn said. Caltrain slowed its commuter trains in the morning while investigators descended on the scene. The body was found hanging between two stationary freight cars. The freight was hauled out of the Port of Redwood City Monday night at about 9:30 p.m. and arrived in South San Francisco at about 10:30 p.m., Dunn said.

"Investigators are looking at every possibility," Dunn said.

Caltrain is taking the lead on the investigation because of its familiarity with the area.

Investigators placed a yellow tarp over the two freight cars to shield Caltrain commuters from the scene and to prevent a television crew in a helicopter from taking video, Dunn said.

Investigators were on the scene until after 1 p.m.

The victim did have a wallet on him, Dunn said. The San Mateo County Coroner's Office will conduct an autopsy to determine cause of death.

Investigators dusted the freight cars for prints to determine what happened, Dunn said.

"There are no assumptions until a thorough investigation is completed," Dunn said.

(The preceding article by Bill Silverfarb was published March 10, 2010, by the San Mateo Daily Journal.)