Security Forces airmen at Eglin Air Force Base discovered a dead person inside a burned vehicle early Wednesday morning, according to officials at the Florida installation.
The vehicle was found during a routine patrol by members of the 96th Security Forces Squadron.
The airmen encountered the vehicle and body at about 4:30 a.m., an Eglin news release said.
The discovery occurred at the intersection of Range Road 234 and Lewis Turner Boulevard, both located on the sprawling base.
Officials disclosed no information about what happened before the patrol reached the burned vehicle.
The Eglin news release also did not provide details about the condition of the vehicle beyond describing it as burned.
The Air Force Office of Special Investigations is investigating the incident, according to the release.
The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office is also involved in the investigation, bringing both military and local investigators into the case.
Service officials had not publicly identified the deceased individual as of Thursday. The limited information released by the base did not include the person’s name or any other identifying details.
Officials also did not say whether the deceased individual had any affiliation with Eglin Air Force Base or the military.
That left the person’s connection, if any, to the installation undisclosed as the investigation continued.
Spokespersons at Eglin Air Force Base did not respond Thursday to requests for additional information.
As a result, the circumstances surrounding the burned vehicle and the person found inside remained largely unexplained in the available public account.
The source material did not identify a cause of death or explain how the vehicle came to be burned. It also did not state when the vehicle arrived at the intersection or when the fire occurred.
Eglin Air Force Base sits just outside Fort Walton Beach in Florida’s panhandle.
The installation spans more than 460,000 acres and houses multiple units from the Air Force, Space Force and Army.
Among those units is the Air Force’s 96th Test Wing. The members who found the vehicle and body serve with the 96th Security Forces Squadron and were carrying out a routine patrol when they made the discovery.
Eglin also houses the 33rd Fighter Wing, which flies the F-35 Lightning II stealth fighter.
The Air Force’s 53rd Wing, which tests and evaluates new operational capabilities, is based at the installation as well.
The Space Force’s 20th Space Surveillance Squadron is another unit housed at Eglin. The base therefore supports organizations from more than one military service across its extensive Florida property.
Army units at Eglin include the 7th Special Forces Group and the 6th Ranger Training Battalion.
The 6th Ranger Training Battalion conducts the swamp phase of Ranger School at the base.
Approximately 20,000 military troops and civilian employees work at Eglin, according to a base fact sheet. Despite the large population and the number of units operating there, officials had not said whether the deceased individual belonged to any base organization.
The investigation remained with the Air Force Office of Special Investigations and the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office based on the information released.
No additional findings, identification or explanation of the incident had been announced in the source account as of Thursday.
For now, the established timeline begins at about 4:30 a.m. Wednesday, when the 96th Security Forces Squadron patrol found the burned vehicle at Range Road 234 and Lewis Turner Boulevard.
Beyond that discovery and the agencies involved, officials released few details.