Human remains were found in Whitehorse on Sunday, the RCMP reported this morning.

The remains were discovered by a resident walking in a rural area of the city.

Sgt. Guy Rook said this morning the call about the discovery came in at around noon on Sunday.

The remains were determined to be of an adult and in an advanced state of decomposition.

An autopsy has been ordered by the Yukon coroner's office to find further details such as the cause of death and to begin work on determining the person's identity, police said.

The autopsy will also likely determine the gender of the person.

In the meantime, the Yukon RCMP major crimes unit is reviewing missing person files throughout North America and continuing to investigate the matter.

Rook said details on the exact location and just how advanced the decomposition of the body was could not be released due to the investigation.

'The investigation limits the amount of information (that can be released),' he explained.

Police don't have an estimate on the amount of time the autopsy or investigation will take, Rook said.