Forensics investigate body in car 

South Otago police say it may be several days before the identity of a person found dead in a burnt out car is confirmed. 

The body was discovered on Sunday morning in a layby off the Southern Scenic Road about three kilometres south of Owaka on the Catlins coast.

Prior to the car being found a local reported hearing a boom, which police say may have been the car catching light.  It appears the late model Mitsubishi Lancer was deliberately parked on the road, with the body inside.

Police say the car is registered to a local person who is not a smoker.

"There are a few concerns that we have in relation to the scene and we're hoping over the next two to three days we can established exactly what occurred here," says Senior Sergeant Lane Todd.

Police are hoping a forensic scientist can help them formally identify the body.

The scientist spent Monday investigating the scene where the body was found at about 8am on Sunday.

Scientists from the Crown Research Institute, ESR, will join the investigation and dental records and DNA will be needed to confirm the person's identity. 

Once they do that their priorities are to find out the cause of the fire and whether or not the person died before the fire or because of it.

"The concerns the police have, is it is a late model vehicle and there seems to be no apparent reason why it would catch fire," says Todd.

Todd says police have been speaking to witnesses in the Owaka community about sightings of the car and about where it was bought and serviced.