Officers were called to the Drayton Tavern in Brisbane St about 7.20am today after the body of a middle-aged man was found at the bottom of a rear stairwell.

Darling Downs district officer Detective Acting Inspector Paul Hart said it was difficult to determine what had happened at such an early stage of the investigation.

"We have to look at, obviously, the scene, the location in which it has happened and speak to any other potential witnesses that have been around at the time," Det. Act. Insp. Hart said.

He said it was difficult to say how long the man had been dead.

For more on this story visit the Toowoomba Chronicle.

EARLIER: The body of a middle-aged man has been found at a pub on the outskirts of Toowoomba.

Police were called to the Drayton Tavern, southwest of the city, at 7.20 Friday morning after the body was discovered by a cleaner.

A crime scene has been established.

Detectives are treating the death as suspicious until a cause of death is determined.