The body found in a burnt-out car in the carpark of a Havelock North reserve on Monday has been identified as a woman, police say.
The body was discovered on Monday by a member of the public, two days after police had initially examined the burnt-out car. Police had failed to identify the body at the time due to the car's condition and debris from the fire.
READ MORE: Body left in burnt-out car for 2 days after police missed remains
In a statement on Wednesday, police confirmed the body was a woman and said they were reviewing CCTV footage and canvasing the area as they try to piece together what happened.
Police were also looking at missing persons cases but said it had not provided any assistance to the investigation so far.
Detective Inspector David De Lange said anyone with information should contact police as soon as possible.
"We want to find out who this woman is and speak with her family," De Lange said.
"This will be devastating news for them and we will be wrapping support around then once we know who they are.
"We are still treating the death as unexplained while we wait for post mortem and forensic testing results but are keeping an open mind as to what has occurred."
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