A body found by two mates out in their four-wheel-drive near a track popular with recreational vehicles could have been burnt death, detectives have revealed.
The two men discovered the remains on the remote track in the Glass House Mountains on the Sunshine Coast about 12pm on Tuesday – but police did not arrive until 8pm because of the remote location.
Investigators have since declared a crime scene with Sunshine Coast CIB detective senior sergeant Craig Mansfield saying they are treating the death as suspicious and a lighter was found nearby.
He said the driver and his passenger had taken a wrong turn when the made the shocking discovery.
Detectives investigate the scene where two mates out on a four-wheel-drive discovered a body off a remote dirt track (pictured)
The area near the Sunshine Coast is popular for bushwalkers and recreational vehicle drivers
‘They realised the track went no further and it was at this point they came across the skeletal remains. (The body was) not buried in anyway but it’s in a heavily decomposed state,’ he said, reports the Courier Mail.
He said police were having difficulty establishing how long the body had been there because the track was open to weather and there had been significant rain in the area.
‘(Whether the person) ventured there on their own or was put there… we’re not ruling that out.’
Specialist pathologists have travelled from Brisbane to assist in the investigation.
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He said investigators had been unable to confirm if the person was male or female but they were smaller in ‘stature’ which could indicate a teenager.
The two men had driven down a wrong turn and when they stopped they made the grisly discovery off the side of the track (pictured)
Sunshine Coast CIB detective senior sergeant Craig Mansfield (pictured) said police were treating the death as suspicious
A police statement on Wednesday said the remains would be sent for further analysis which might establish a gender.
He also added they have not been able to link the case with any known missing persons and urged the public to contact police if they know of anyone missing in the area.
An incident centre was established at Maroochydore Police Station with Sunshine Coast Police to collaborate with other specialist officers.
Glass House Mountains is a rural hinterland area in the Sunshine Coast with a population of 5,065 people as recorded in the 2016 Census.
The mountains are popular with tourists and locals looking to go on bush walks, climbs, and four-wheel drives on the picturesque tracks.
Police have asked that anyone with information contact Crime Stoppers.
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