Police discovered human remains in a vehicle that had been destroyed by fire on Deckard Ridge Road Saturday morning.
Coroner Earl Piper said the death does not appear to be criminal in nature, but that would not be confirmed until he met with the pathologist to figure out if the person died due to the fire.
“From what I have in remains, I don’t see anything like an outside influence creating a traumatic injury. But, again, you totally don’t rule anything like that out until we literally put the person…under the microscope. We don’t rule anything out,” he said.
Police were dispatched to Deckard Ridge Road just after 8 a.m. in reference to a vehicle that had been burned and that was still smoldering, according to a press release from the Brown County Sheriff’s Department,
The identity of the person whose remains were found in the vehicle have not been confirmed due to the extent of damage. The vehicle is believed to be a model year 2006 – 2011 Kia Rio, the news release said.
“Other than knowing the make of the car, the VIN number and everything was completely gone. The license plate was completely burnt up,” Coroner Earl Piper said.
“This is one of the more advanced fires I’ve dealt with,” he said.
Six hours before the vehicle was discovered, a resident reported that a vehicle had traveled through the yard of a home in the 2800 block of T.C. Steele Road, struck a carport there and continued southbound without stopping.
That vehicle left car parts at the scene including a Kia grille emblem and a blue paint transfer. Police were unable to locate the vehicle at that time.
Evidence has led police to believe that the vehicle on Deckard Ridge Road is consistent with the one that left the scene on T.C. Steele Road, the release states.
Piper said he is meeting with a pathologist on Wednesday to work on extracting DNA to help identify the person. The pathologist will also help him establish the victim’s gender and an age range.
Teeth from the remains and dental records could be used to help identify the body, Piper said.
The evidence shows the victim had been driving the vehicle, but was likely trying to move to the backseat, he said.
The press release states that vehicle was stuck in the mud on the side of the road.
He said the fire appeared to have started in the early morning hours.
“People have homes back down that road, so I’m sure within the last 24 hours somebody would have been down that road because it was right there on the road. It was not back in the wooded area. It was right on the side of the road,” he said.
Remains belonging to one person were found in the vehicle. Piper said he has an assumption on the gender, but could not confirm until after meeting with the pathologist.
“I’m leaning more towards the accidental (cause), but I don’t dot that I or cross that T until I get there,” he said.
“It appears to have been accidental, but I’m looking at all aspects.”
