Autopsy to be performed on burned body found in West Chicago

WEST CHICAGO, Ill. (WLS) -- A death investigation is underway in DuPage County after firefighters found a burned body in a field in west suburban West Chicago.

An autopsy will be performed Wednesday, which should reveal how this person died. Police said they believe it was a man's body.

RELATED: Police: Man's body found burning in empty West Chicago field

Firefighters made the discovery around noon on Tuesday, after they saw the smoke billowing in the air while training nearby.

When they arrived, they found an empty field with some camping equipment, a blue tent, a picnic table and the burning body.

The field was, until recently, a farm. Neighbors said it was bulldozed about a year ago and was in the process of being redeveloped

"There are a lot of people working on this right now to figure out exactly what happened. We're doing everything we can to make sure we find that out," West Chicago Police Officer Michael Rosenwinkel said.

Investigators appear to believe that because of the camping equipment found, there may have been a person living in this field.

But until the autopsy is complete, they will not be able to make an identification.