BOSTON -- A photo of what looks to be a dead person was posted on a New Bedford police officer's Facebook page, drawing controversy and an investigation by superior officers.

The photo appears to show a person lying face-down on a couch in a filthy room that is littered with food and garbage. It was allegedly posted on a female officer's Web site. Her name has not been released.

New Bedford Police Department Lt. Jeffrey Silva said officials are trying to determine if the photograph is of an actual crime scene.

"What it looks like to me is a picture of someone who is either deceased or pretending to be deceased. It looks like it could be a crime scene, but like an onion there will be a lot of layers to something like this," Silva said.

Silva said officers would need to determine if it’s a person posed in the photo or if it's an actual victim.

The officer's Facebook page is set to private, but the photo was e-mailed to an ABC affiliate in Rhode Island.