UPDATE: Coroner determines remains found in burnt-out car are human

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- An investigation is underway after a body was discovered inside a burnt-out car in the middle of a quiet Oldham County neighborhood.

Police are now sure the remains inside are human, after an autopsy confirmed that Tuesday afternoon. Now officers are trying to determine how the fire started and who was inside the car.

The call came in early Tuesday morning at approximately 1:45.

"Someone driving through the area observed a vehicle in the roadway that was on fire," said Sgt. James Brown of Oldham County Police.

The burning car was found just off U.S. 42 on North Highway 393. Sgt. Brown says the car was fully engulfed in flames by the time police arrived, and the fire department had to put the fire out.

That's when police learned this was much more than just a car on fire and there were actual human remains inside.

"They were located within the vehicle," Sgt. Brown said. "The vehicle was then treated as a crime scene. It's being processed and the body has been taken to the medical examiner's office and an autopsy has been performed and we do suspect that foul play is involved in the death of that individual."

The charred remains of the car were taken away on the back of a tow truck in the middle of the night. But by Tuesday afternoon, detectives were back at the scene.

"We were able to process the scene again in daylight to recover additional items that we believe may be involved with the incident," Sgt. Brown said.

The car was found on a quiet road in Oldham County, but police are hoping someone may have seen something that can help solve the case.

"It is a rural area, but even at 1:45, there should have been people passing by," Sgt. Brown said. "Again, there was a person who drove through the area who came upon it who did call when they found the vehicle on fire."

"We would ask that anyone who was in that area and saw anything suspicious...that they would contact Oldham County Police," he added.

The Oldham County Police can be reached at (502) 222-1300.