Suspected body found in burnt-out vehicle in Sturgeon County

Human remains are believed to have been found inside a burnt-out vehicle on a rural road north of Fort Saskatchewan, Alta., in Sturgeon County.

On Monday night, firefighters were called to Range Road 230 at Township Road 554, where the vehicle was engulfed in flames.

RCMP from Fort Saskatchewan also responded around 11:20 p.m. Once the fire was extinguished, RCMP said officers found suspected human remains.

Police shut down roads in the area overnight and into Tuesday afternoon while investigators combed through the scene.

Drivers were asked to avoid the area that’s about halfway between Fort Saskatchewan and Gibbons.

A Global News crew at the scene could see the burnt-out vehicle and watched as investigators removed what appeared to be a body from it.

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The body was later taken away by staff from the medical examiner’s office. RCMP said the remains will undergo an autopsy on Wednesday morning.

A few hours after the body was removed, the vehicle was also loaded onto a tow truck and taken away.

Late Tuesday afternoon, RCMP said officers released the scene and traffic could resume normally.

An area resident who did not want to be named told Global News police had been there since the middle of the night.

Global News agreed to not publish the resident’s name as they feared for their safety.

They said police weren’t letting people come and go from their homes in the area.

The resident counted several cruisers and unmarked vehicles, as well as what they thought were tactical team members and drones in the air.

They said around 10 a.m., they heard what sounded like rapid gunfire and sirens, however a police spokesperson said no gunshots were fired in the area.

RCMP said the investigation will continue and further updates will be issued as more information becomes available.