The family of a young man who was reported missing from Ahtahkakoop Cree Nation Thursday says the 20-year-old was killed and burned in his car.

Brennan Ahenakew was reported missing to RCMP Thursday at 5 p.m. CST.

That same day, officers located human remains in a burned-out vehicle in the area.

Lisa Johnstone says her son was heavily involved in football and basketball. (Submitted by Lisa Johnstone) Ahenakew's mother Lisa Johnstone said it was her son's vehicle. She said she saw him last on Wednesday night, at 11 p.m., when he left home in his car.

"When I woke up in the morning, he wasn't there. He always comes home no matter what," Johnstone said.

She said she texted him at 7:30 a.m. before going to work and got no response. When she came home that afternoon, he still wasn't there. Johnstone and her husband Jared Ahenakew reported their son missing and went searching for him around town.

Shellbrook RCMP said it first received complaints of a burning car that morning but when an officer went to the location, the fire was still going and the inside of the car was not inspected.

We loved our son so much. We miss him so much. - Lisa Johnstone

It wasn't until that evening that police returned after a call came in suggesting a person was in it.

Johnstone said police called her husband and they drove over. She said it was still smoking when she got to the scene.

"I needed to see him. I needed to know if he was in there," she said. "I ran as fast as I could, through all those cops, and I ran up to the vehicle.

"I looked inside the driver's seat and I seen my son's ashes. I seen my son's leg bones. I seen my son's pelvis. That's all they left me."

Johnstone said her son was not involved in drugs or any gang activity. She said the high school graduate enjoyed playing basketball and football and had been working construction with his dad.

He had two brothers, 12 and 16, and two sisters, 14 and 18.

"He was our protector because he was six-four. And he was big, but he was gentle. He was scared of bugs," she said, crying. "He had everything. He had potential. He was going to go somewhere in life."

Brennan Ahenakew celebrating his 20th birthday on April 21. (Submitted by Lisa Johnstone) "We loved our son so much. We miss him so much."

At this time, the Saskatchewan RCMP has not confirmed that the man who was reported missing Thursday is the same person who was found burned.

Police said the human remains will be sent to Saskatoon for a post-mortem exam scheduled for early next week.

Johnstone said she thinks her son was burned so that evidence of who killed him would be untraceable.

"Justice is not going to be served for him," she said. "He's just going to be another statistic."