Her family has been notified and is traveling to the area from out of state.
Police say they also know who she was with before she was dumped. Apparently, a 911 call was made during the incident around 3:30 a.m. Tuesday.
The Garner Police Department and EMS originally responded to a call from a motorists who reported a female body on the shoulder of Aversboro Road near Old Scarborough Lane.
Police say they do not know how the woman ended up on the side of the road. Residents in the area say they thought the neighborhood was safe.
"I don't understand what could have happened," said Dot Brown, who lives near where police found the woman. "People walk up and down here during the day but I don't know what happens at night. I thought it was a safe place to live."
Authorities say the unidentified woman has a head injury. She was taken to WakeMed in Raleigh and is in critical condition.
The cause of her injury is unknown, but police say she was not the victim of a random act of violence.
"We don't know if she was walking on the side of the road and got hit by a car," said Sgt. Chris Clayton, Garner Police Department. "We're not sure if she was dropped out of a car here or somehow got here without use of a car or could have been walking and something else happened to her."
Authorities have not been able to question the woman and are waiting for her to wake up.
"She was unconscious and she's been unconscious the whole time, so we have not been able to talk to her," Sgt. Clayton explained.
They woman was found without shoes, which is odd given the cold weather. Temperatures dropped into the low 30s overnight.
"She wouldn't be walking as cold as it was, without shoes," Brown said. "Somebody had to throw her out. It doesn't make sense that she would be walking without shoes, as cold as it was at 3:30 in the morning!"
Anyone with information about the case, should call the Garner Police Department at 919-772-8810.