Skeletal remains found in car in Sims Bayou

A submerged vehicle is pulled from Sims Bayou in the 4800 block of Scenic Drive on Thursday. A submerged vehicle is pulled from Sims Bayou in the 4800 block of Scenic Drive on Thursday. Photo: Jon Shapley, Houston Chronicle Photo: Jon Shapley, Houston Chronicle Image 1 of / 17 Caption Close Skeletal remains found in car in Sims Bayou 1 / 17 Back to Gallery

Police are investigating the death of a person after human remains were found inside a car discovered submerged in Sims Bayou Thursday afternoon.

The discovery was made about 1:15 p.m. in the 4800 block of Scenic Drive, according to the Houston Police Department.

Police said crews in a police helicopter spotted the submerged vehicle Wednesday while investigating the case. HPD dive team members were called out to recover the submerged car Thursday morning.

Inside, they found a body believed to be that of a male.

Officials from the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences arrived at the scene later Thursday as the late-model Nissan Altima was pulled from the water Thursday.

Richard Martinez, spokesman for HPD Homicide Division, said the vehicle is registered to a man listed in a May missing person report, however it has not been confirmed that the man in the car is the same person.

Family notification is pending, Martinez said.

Police say the car and the remains likely were not caused by May flooding and appear to have been in the bayou since prior to that.

Police said investigators are uncertain how the person died or where the car initially entered the bayou: the car may have entered the bayou elsewhere and been swept downstream by recent flooding.

Houston Chronicle reporter Dale Lezon contributed to the report.