DALTON, Ga. — The discovery of a burned male body Tuesday in a wooded area near the Carbondale Road I-75 exit in south Whitfield County has set off a multiple agency investigation to identify the victim. 

Whitfield County Sheriff’s Office Capt. Rick Swiney confirmed the body was discovered by a 13-year-old walking through the woods near his home at the dead end of Ellis Road off of Dug Gap Road west of I-75. Swiney said the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the coroner’s office have been assisting in identifying the victim. 

“The only thing we are releasing at this point is that a body was discovered around 5 p.m. by a kid in the woods next to his house,” Swiney said. “The body had been there less than 24 hours when it was discovered and the body was burned. About the only thing we can tell right now is it was a male.”

The body was transported to the state crime lab for an autopsy. Swiney said deputies searched the area through the night Tuesday looking for any other clues to identity the body or find a motive in the burning of the body. 

“Last night was spent trying to search the area for any more evidence,” Swiney said. “We are starting to contact other agencies about missing persons, trying to confirm the identity of this person.”

Swiney said investigators hope to identify the body quickly to assist in the death investigation. 

“If it is someone from our immediate area, we hope we can get an identity today,” he said. “If it was someone traveling down the interstate and they just decided to stop at the Carbondale exit, it could take a little more time.”