— Police were searching for clues Friday after a body burned beyond recognition was found inside a burning car in Durham Thursday night, authorities said.

The victim was found Thursday about 9:45 p.m. in a car parked in the 5000 block of Guardian Drive near Beaver Dam Road. The vehicle was parked on a dead-end road near a wooded area that borders Interstate 40.

Jenell Jackson, who lives in an apartment nearby, heard the first sound of trouble at precisely 9:17 p.m.

"I heard a loud pop or a gunshot. I'm not exactly sure what it was," she said. She was working on her computer and looked at the clock.

"My little dog went crazy, and a few minutes after that a car alarm went off just, like, nonstop," she said.

The car alarm did stop, and Jackson took her dogs out for a walk. That's when she talked with the couple – she didn't catch their names – who told her they were coming home from dinner, saw the fire and called 911. They shared the ghastly detail that a fire had engulfed a car, and someone had been inside.

That the fire had engulfed this car. And somebody, burned beyond recognition, had been inside.

"It's a little unnerving I guess because it's so close to my house, but it can happen anywhere," she said.

Troy Wright, manager of the nearby Marriott Research Triangle Park said he noticed the large police presence Friday morning.

"My whole idea was to come down here because I have a lot of guests staying at the hotel so I knew I was going to get some phone calls. You can look out your window and see the blue lights, so I wanted to be prepared for the questions," Wright said.

By noon, the car had been towed, but police have yet to say if they have identified the victim or how the car fire was started.