SUDBURY -- Ontario Provincial Police are investigating after a body was found Tuesday afternoon near Lakes End Road and Tilton Lake Road in Sudbury's South End.

Const. Michelle Coulombe told CTV News the identity is not yet known and was not able to provide details into the gender of the remains.

The body was discovered around 3 p.m. Dec. 8 off of Tilton Lake Road in Eden Township. An autopsy is planned in Sudbury on Thursday.

"The Office of the Chief Coroner and Ontario Forensic Pathology Service is also involved with the investigation," police said in a news release Wednesday. "A post-mortem examination is scheduled to take place on Dec. 10."

Resident Alex Wright, who lives about three kilometres from where the remains were found, told CTV News it was unsettling to learn a body had been discovered in the remote area.

"I was down the road and I heard and saw all the cop cars coming down," Wright said. "And I knew something wasn’t right, especially with that amount of police presence. So I knew something was going on.”

"I had no idea about this incident driving in, so it kind of shocked me a bit,” said another resident, Vicky Barrette.

Coulombe said members of the OPP's Criminal Investigations Unit from Orillia has been called in to help with the investigation.

“The body was found not far off of Tilton Lake Road, probably within 25-50 metres," she said. "There’s going to be different specialty units in the area, to assist with the investigation. Part of that will be a ground search of the area, to see if they can find any evidence.”

A 50-metre stretch of the forest next to the road has been blocked off by police. When asked if foul play is suspected, Coulombe said it's too early in the investigation to comment.

“You will expect to see a large presence of police in the area (in) the next few days as we conduct our investigation,” she added.

Police are asking anyone who may have information on the incident to contact the OPP at 1-888-310-1122 or their nearest police authority. Should you wish to remain anonymous, you may call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or submit information online at p3tips.com, where you may be eligible to receive a cash reward of up to $2,000.

"The OPP reminds all members of the public to be aware of their personal safety at all times," police said. "The OPP's website, opp.ca contains a number of useful resources, tips and links."