JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colo. -- A buried body wrapped in plastic was discovered just before noon Thursday along Highway 6, near mile marker 262. That's between tunnels 3 and 4 in Clear Creek Canyon, west of Golden.

Authorities have released few details as to the sex, or age, of the person but did describe the remains as "skeletal."

The body was found by a highway worker using a front-end loader. The crew member was scooping a large pile of dirt and rocks about 20 feet from the side of the highway when the body, wrapped in clear plastic, fell out of the machine's bucket, a spokeswoman with the Colorado Department of Transportation said. Once he saw a skull, the worker contacted police immediately.

It appeared that the body had been laying in a shallow grave, according to investigators.

An autopsy was planned to determine the gender and age of the body and also how the victim died.

Edgewater police told 7NEWS that they have been contacted about the body, but will not have any other information to provide until the coroner's investigation is complete. The Edgewater Police Department is investigating the disappearance of a missing mother from their community.

Heather Jean DeWild, 30, went missing on July 24. She vanished while heading to a meeting with her estranged husband. DeWild was days away from finalizing her divorce at the time of her disappearance.

Her husband, Daniel DeWild, has not been named a suspect in the disappearance. Police also said Daniel, and his twin brother Dave, have not provided investigators with enough information to exclude them from the investigation. A Jefferson County grand jury has been looking into the Heather DeWild case.

DeWild's white Nissan Sentra was found near 44th Avenue and Kipling, in the parking lot of a Wheat Ridge apartment complex.

Dave Springer, Heather's father, told 7NEWS that he too has been contacted about the body. He said he was asked to supply dental records for identification purposes. He and the rest of her family do not believe Heather left on her own. They say her disappearance is suspicious because she left her two children -- a 3-year-old girl and a 5-year-old boy -- behind.

The Jefferson County Sheriff's Department said it will be going through the county's missing persons files to see if the body matches any case it has at this time. Anyone with information concerning the incident is asked to call the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office at (303) 271-5599.