Indianapolis teenager was asphyxiated, body burned: authorities

(Reuters) - An Indianapolis teenager whose badly burned body was found behind a house over the weekend died of asphyxiation, authorities said on Tuesday. The body of Dominique Allen, 15, was found on Sunday afternoon by a homeowner in his backyard when he was walking his dog on the west side of the city, Indianapolis police said. He is not a suspect in the killing, police said. Allen's death was caused by asphyxiation and has been ruled a homicide, Alfarena Ballew, chief deputy coroner of Marion County, said on Tuesday. The teenager was reported missing near midday on Sunday, about the time her body was found, Indianapolis police spokesman Christopher Wilburn said. Investigators believe Allen was killed elsewhere and her body was brought to the backyard, Wilburn said. Detectives found her purse and shoes about a block away from her body, he said. Wilburn declined to say where Allen had been seen alive last, saying the investigation was ongoing. (Reporting by Brendan O'Brien in Milwaukee; Editing by Eric Beech)