This is the path through the woods to where the body was found.

DALTON, Ga. — You can hear the hum of traffic on Interstate 75 and see many paths through the rolling landscape and pine where a burned body was discovered earlier this week in southern Whitfield County near the Carbondale Road exit. 

Filled with culverts and sloping hills, the area is a favorite play spot for some as evidenced by the many paths, chopped down trees and targets posted on a couple of oaks that look as if they have been peppered with BB or pellet shots.

Whoever left the body in the woods at the end of the dead end on Ellis Road ignored a gate and the “Posted: No Trespassing” signs, and now detectives are trying to track down what led to the discovery of the body Tuesday evening by a 13-year-old boy.

Whitfield County Sheriff’s Office Capt. Rick Swiney said the investigation into what happened to the body — which is being treated as a homicide — has yielded new clues, but he offered little new public information on Thursday. 

“The bad news is that I can’t really discuss a whole lot with you,” Swiney said Thursday afternoon. “The good news is we did make some real good progress on the investigation today. We have made considerable progress.”

The only new information released by the sheriff’s office on Thursday was that the victim is believed to have been in his mid-20s. Previously, the body was identified as male, but the race or ethnicity has not been released.

Swiney said three detectives are working the case and following up on leads. The charred body was sent to the state crime lab in hopes of identifying it after no identification was found at the scene. Swiney would not discuss the details of any information gained from the state crime lab or whether a cause of death had been determined. 

“Unfortunately, that’s about all we can tell you today,” he said. 

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s Calhoun office is assisting in the investigation as well as the local coroner’s office. Swiney said he expects to be able to release more information today as the investigation continues.