Marion County Sheriff's Office investigating burnt body, vehicle found in Fort McCoy
FORT McCOY — Marion County Sheriff's Office detectives are investigating the circumstances surrounding a burned body found in a torched vehicle in a remote section of northeast Marion County.
A Sheriff's Office report notes that Deputy Cody Austin Fenton was called to the 2000 block of Northeast 231st Avenue in Fort McCoy shortly after 10 a.m. on Oct. 12 in reference to a suspicious vehicle.
Fenton had to walk approximately a half-mile from the intersection of North Forest Road and Northeast 231st Street to get to the scene. When Fenton arrived, there was a vehicle that was severely damaged by fire, and a body was found inside, according to the report.
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Law enforcement officials declined to identify the type of vehicle, if they've made contact with the vehicle's owner or any details about the body.
Officials did say that the vehicle is in their possession, and that the badly burned body is with the Medical Examiner's Office.
Authorities said the death is suspicious, and that they're trying to find any evidence to piece together what happened.
U.S. Forest Service
Officials said the call came from the U.S. Forest Service.
Nikki Maxwell, a U.S. Forest Service spokeswoman, said in an email message to the Star-Banner that around 3:30 p.m. on Oct. 7, their dispatch center received a call from a forest service employee who saw a small fire in the Fort McCoy area.
Maxwell said a helicopter was dispatched to the area. A half-hour later, the helicopter crew completed their evaluation of the potential danger. Forest service firefighters were called and they put out the fire.
By 5:30 p.m., most of the fire was extinguished and categorized as 90 percent contained, meaning no flames and diminished smoke, according to the spokeswoman.
Maxwell said five days later, the fire service dispatch center received a call about a burnt vehicle and officials realized it was the same site as the Oct. 7 fire.
"Firefighters confirmed the vehicle fire remained extinguished, yet still had some lingering smoke omitting from the scene," Maxwell said.
According to the email, "the perimeter of the fire containment area was approximately 1-2 acres."
Maxwell said firefighters on the scene of the initial fire on Oct. 7 "were focused on controlling and extinguishing the fire, and reported not being able to see (anything or anyone) inside the vehicle due to the flames and smoke."
"There are no reports of USFS firefighters or other personnel touching or opening the vehicle due to the intense heat of the fire," she said.
The spokeswoman added that "USFS law enforcement personnel are coordinating the fire investigation with the Marion County Sheriff’s Office."
Anyone with information about the incident can call the Sheriff's Office at 352-732-9111, Crime Stoppers at 368-STOP or visit www.crimestoppers.com.
— Contact Austin L. Miller at austin.miller@starbanner.com or @almillerosb.
This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: Marion County sheriff's deputies investigating death in Fort McCoy
