Troopers are trying to identify a body found on Interstate 85 in Kannapolis. Because of the injuries, they believe the body is a male. They believe the person was hit by a car.

They got a call from a driver at around 7:30 a.m. Saturday, saying some kind of animal had been hit and was on the side of the road. Then at 12:45 p.m., another driver called. That driver realized it was a body.

"That's gruesome," Daniel McGovern said. "I don't know what to say about that. I really don't."

McGovern had heard about the four-hour closure southbound, but he was shocked to hear why the stretch of I-85 in Kannapolis was actually closed. Highway Patrol is investigating what happened near mile marker 63.

"The Cabarrus County Sheriff's Office is helping us with this," Sgt. Garrett Barger said. "They helped us with mapping the scene. They've put out a 50-mile radius missing person [alert]."

Troopers believe the person was hit sometime overnight, probably before 3:30 a.m., and they say because of the rain a lot of evidence has washed away. They do not have a car description.

"We know a person was struck sometime over night," Barger said. "We do not know if this person is a male or a female. We know this person has red hair. That's about all we know."

McGovern says his heart goes out to family.

"I feel for the family," he said.

If you know anything about what happened, you're urged to call Highway Patrol. You can dial *47 from your cell phone or call 911.