A child's body has been found by Sunshine Coast road workers after it was left on the side of the road by a funeral home employee.

The infant's body was being transferred from Rockhampton to Brisbane in a funeral car.

During a driver change, the infant's body was put on the car's roof and was reportedly forgotten so when the car drove off once again, the body fell off and was left behind.

The body was not discovered missing until the vehicle arrived at the morgue.

The child's family have been informed of the incident and do not wish to release any more information.