Former Los Angeles police officer Christopher Jordan Dorner is seen in this image provided by the Irvine, Calif., Police Department via The Orange County Register. (Credit: AP Photo/Irvine Police Department via The Orange County Register)

An official briefed on the investigation tells The Associated Press that a wallet with a California driver's license with the name Christopher Dorner has been found in the rubble of a cabin.

A charred body was also found inside after a shootout and fire.

Authorities believe the remains are those of the former Los Angeles police officer, but they have not been formally identified.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of the ongoing investigation and says the charred body and personal items were found in the basement of the burned cabin. The area is in the San Bernardino Mountains east of Los Angeles.

Investigators will attempt to determine if the remains are Dorner's through forensic tests.

Thousands of officers had been on the hunt for the former Navy reservist since police said he launched a campaign to exact revenge against the Los Angeles Police Department for his firing.

In the shootout before the fire at the cabin, two sheriff's deputies were shot, one fatally. Dorner is also suspected of earlier killing a young couple and a police officer, and wounding two other officers.

Police had been searching the snow-covered woods near Big Bear Lake, a resort town about 80 miles east of Los Angeles, after Dorner's truck was found late last week.