The Douglas County Sheriff’s Department investigated a mysterious death Sunday after a body was found inside a burning car at Clinton Lake.

Police dispatchers received a call just before 11 a.m. Sunday reporting a four-door vehicle on fire near Rock Creek Boat Ramp on the south side of the lake.

But when sheriff’s investigators arrived on the scene, they found a body inside the burning car and launched an investigation that continued at the scene until Sunday evening.

Police Lt. Doug Woods would not comment on the incident, except to say that the investigation was in the preliminary stages.

Sheriff’s spokeswoman Kari Wempe said that investigators on the scene couldn’t identify the charred body.

“We couldn’t even identify what kind of vehicle it was,” Wempe said.

The investigation spanned much of the area near the boat ramp Sunday, as officers were seen scanning the woods and fields near the car, which was parked on the edge of the woods away from the road leading up to the ramps.

A tow truck eventually removed the vehicle, transporting it to the Douglas County Law Enforcement Center for examination. There was no indication whether the body remained inside, although officers and other officials on the scene were careful to keep a large tarp draped over the car.

Sheriff’s officers also interviewed neighbors in the area during the afternoon Sunday. No one living near the area reported hearing or seeing anything unusual during the morning hours.