A 48-year-old woman was pronounced dead Tuesday after she was found inside a trash compactor in a lower Manhattan apartment building, police said.

Police said officers discovered the body of Lara Prychenko around 4:55 p.m. inside the 29-story Zeckendorf Towers near Union Square.

She was found unconscious and unresponsive and was pronounced dead at the scene, according to police.

Police say Prychenko lived in the building. It was not clear how she ended up in the trash compactor.

An investigation is underway.