A pensioner may have been dead for up to two months before his body was found in a shed over the weekend, according to investigating gardaí.
The man, who has not yet been identified, is believed to have been in his 70s and will have to be identified using DNA testing because of the state of decomposition of his body.
He was found lying in a semi-dressed state in a shed near the main Drogheda-Dundalk road on Saturday evening.
It was close to a derelict site off the North Road and the local woman who came upon the body was greatly distressed at what she saw.
Detectives called to the scene were concerned about the possibility of foul play and sealed off the area.
The Assistant State Pathologist Dr Marie Cassidy examined the scene yesterday morning before carrying out a post-mortem on the remains in Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda, Co Louth.
The preliminary results of the autopsy indicate he died of natural causes, possibly a heart attack.
Gardaí suspect he may be a man who had been living in Drogheda for the past number of years, having moved there from Dublin, and who was believed to have returned to Dublin in recent months.
However, a blood sample from relatives of this man may be needed to confirm whether the body is in fact his.