Yvonne Marion Ross, of Gore, was found dead at the front of a Pomona St address about 8.20am by a member of the public.
Police cordoned off the area yesterday for a detailed scene examination.
A postmortem will be held today.
Senior Sergeant Dave Raynes, of Invercargill, described the matter as "an unexplained death".
Detective Sergeant Mike Bowman, of Invercargill, said last night Mrs Ross had been socialising at the Longford Tavern in East Gore on Sunday evening, and police were keen to trace her movements from the time she left the tavern.
She was described as a Caucasian, about 171cm to 175cm tall.
She was of medium build, and had short black hair that had a tinge of red.
She was wearing a grey woollen top with a Maori design on one of the shoulders, blue jeans and black boots.
People who saw someone of that description on Sunday night or Monday morning in Gore, or saw or heard anything suspicious in Pomona St, are asked to contact the Gore or Invercargill police.
