An investigation was underway Saturday evening after a woman was found dead on East Beach in Santa Barbara, according to the Santa Barbara Police Department.

Officers and other emergency personnel were dispatched at about 5:15 p.m. to the 600 block of East Cabrillo Boulevard following reports of an unresponsive person on the beach, said Lt. Ryan DeJohn.

“Upon arrival, responders located a middle‑aged woman lying on the sand,” DeJohn said. “She was unresponsive and showed no signs of life.”

Paramedics pronounced the woman dead at the scene, he said, adding that her name was being withheld pending notification of relatives.

The circumstances surrounding her death remained under investigation.