LONG ISLAND — The state medical examiner will perform an autopsy Thursday morning in an effort to determine what killed a Long Island lobsterman whose body was found in his driveway Wednesday.

Maine State Police said Steven Michael Hanson, 59, known to his many friends on the island as Mike, was found at 6:35 a.m. by two men who were walking to catch the morning ferry to the mainland. The island town has no full-time law enforcement presence but is covered by the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office, which dispatched deputies to investigate.

Based on findings described as “suspicious,” the sheriff’s office called in the state police, which investigates most of the state’s homicides. A team of detectives with crime scene analysis equipment and a police canine spent the day investigating the area around Hanson’s home at 587 Island Ave., one of just a few year-round homes on that stretch of road.

Lt. Brian McDonough of the state police said the nature of the death is being classified as “undetermined” but that there are aspects of the scene that are troubling. He would not elaborate on what police found.

“We’re treating it as suspicious because it’s still an unexplained death,” he said. There is no obvious indication of what Hanson died from, he said. “There are things here that would raise concerns, but we’ve also seen (such) things in similar investigations that we were able to put to rest” and which did not turn out to indicate foul play.

Hanson was well-known on Long Island, which has a year-round population of 128, a number that swells to more than 1,500 in the summer. His wife, Ena, and their teenage son were not home Wednesday morning. They had attended a church service in South Portland Tuesday night and stayed in town.

Besides being a lobsterman, Hanson was a woodsman and drove the propane truck that makes deliveries on the island.

“He’s one of those amazing men who does everything,” said Ann Caliandro, a year-round resident for the past few years.

She refused to believe that foul play could have been involved in Hanson’s death, both because of who he was and because of the kind of close-knit community the island represents.

“No one in a million years would even think that,” she said. “It’s impossible. Nobody has enemies. … A lot of people were born here, raised here and worked here. This is not a transient community.”

She speculated that perhaps Hanson was bringing in wood or bringing in the family dog when he collapsed and hit his head. That could be comprehended.

“It’s heartbreaking. Everybody knew him … sweet, nice, always happy … This makes me cry,” she said, dabbing tears from eyes with a tissue.

Nancy Berges, who has lived a short distance from the Hansons for the past 15 years, described him as very resourceful and supportive. “He’s a good neighbor,” she said. “I lost my husband over the summer and he said if there’s anything I can do to help you out, let me know.”

Berges saw Hanson Tuesday and reminded him to deliver propane to her brother on the other side of the island.

“He said I’ll do it right now, and he did,” she said.

Berges is looking after Hansons’ small dog Midnight for the time being.

Long Island is quiet this time of year. An hour would pass with no cars traveling up Island Avenue, one of the town’s main thoroughfares. The only gas pump is unlocked for two hours Wednesday afternoon and another two hours on Saturday. There is a post office and a small convenience store open for a few hours a week. Townspeople gather at the VFW Hall for get-togethers like the Harvest Supper a week and a half ago.

“It’s a wonderful place to be,” Caliandro said. If you need something, you get on the phone and ask a neighbor, she said. She was making crab cakes earlier this week and needed butter, so she called around and found a neighbor who shared.

The town’s isolation and neighbors’ familiarity with each other should make it easier to trace Hanson’s movements over the past 24 hours and identify who should be interviewed as part of the investigation into what happened, said McDonough.

“If it was suspicious in nature or somebody else was involved, it would better our chances,” he said.

Police are unaware of anyone who traveled down that road earlier than the two men who found him. If someone did use the road before 6:30 a.m. that could help narrow down when Hanson ended up in the driveway.

The men who discovered Hanson called the town’s volunteer rescue squad, which responded, but Hanson was already dead, police said.

Late Wednesday, McDonough said police were almost done processing the exterior of the house and planned to note the layout of the interior as well. A police dog, Landy, and her handler Detective Matt Williams, searched the perimeter of the property and along the side of the road for items that might have been connected to Hanson. It was unclear whether anything was found.