A man and a woman from Florence are being held on abuse of corpse charges after a body was discovered Wednesday morning in an alleyway, police said.

Florence officers were dispatched to the 2700 block of Huntsville road around 9:40 a.m. Wednesday after a motorist reported a possible dead person.

Officers found Christopher Thomas Pierce, 31, of Florence, dead in the alleyway.

Police learned Pierce had been seen on the property adjacent to the alleyway, leading authorities to obtain a search warrant for the property.

Two suspects, identified as Florence residents William Shane Nichols, 54, and Joni Renee Cummings, 38, were held for questioning before being charged with abuse of corpse, police said.

Pierce’s body will be sent for an autopsy.

Both suspects are being held in the Lauderdale County jail without bond because of previous charges, police said.

Further information was unavailable.