The death of a teenage boy is being treated as suspicious after his body was found on a remote road in the Northern Territory.
The 19-year-old was found lifeless on an unlocked section of Undoolya Road, east of Alice Springs, about 12.30pm on Monday.
St John Ambulance arrived on the scene, but the man was already deceased.
Police believe he had only been on the road for a short time before being discovered by a woman from the nearby Undoolya cattle station.
NT Police Assistant Commissioner Travis Wurst described the death as a “tragedy” after investigators were able to identify the man on Tuesday morning.
The investigation into the non-Indigenous man's links to the Alice Springs community is ongoing as police contact his family.
Police are treating the death of a 19-year-old man as suspicious after his lifeless body was discovered on the remote Undoolya Road (pictured), east of Alice Springs, on Monday.
Police believe the man's body had not been out in the sun for long before being discovered and hope an autopsy will reveal the cause of death (stock image)
“This will be very distressing for the family as it occurred on New Year's Day and for a new year,” Deputy Commissioner Wurst told ABC Radio.
An autopsy is expected to be conducted on Tuesday which, according to the assistant commissioner, will “help us determine the cause of death.”
Motorists have been urged to avoid Undoolya Road and surrounding areas after police blocked access on Monday evening.
Anyone who has camera or dashcam footage of the area on Monday is asked to contact police.
More to come.