UPDATE: 2/18 at 5:07 pm

ELLSWORTH, Wis. (AP) -- Authorities say a man who was found dead in a burned car in western Wisconsin was stuck in a snow bank when the vehicle caught fire.

A statement from the Pierce County Sheriff's Department on Monday says 46-year-old Jeffrey Dennis Matthews, of Hager City, was driving on his parents' property near Hager City. He says the evidence shows Matthews was turning around when his car became stuck.

Family members told investigators Matthews would have remained in the vehicle and waited for help since overnight temperatures were in the teens. But at some point a fire started in the engine compartment and Matthews never got out.

His car was found Saturday morning after the fire was out.
Nobody lives on the property, but there are storage buildings there.
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ORIGINAL STORY: 2/17 at 5:20 pm

ELLSWORTH, Wis. (AP) -- Western Wisconsin sheriff's officials are investigating the death of a person whose remains were found in a burned vehicle.

According to a Pierce County sheriff's department statement, someone reported finding a burned vehicle in the Town of Trenton, about five miles from Ellsworth, at 8:20 a.m. Saturday.

The department says deputies found the vehicle in a farm yard where no one lived. They checked the interior and found human remains.

The vehicle was not on fire when officers found it.

The Ramsey County Medical Examiner's office in Minnesota is expected to perform an autopsy and try to determine the person's identity.