North Carolina Woman Found Dead at Scene of Suspicious Fire

A woman’s body was found nside a house in Albemarle (NC) that was destroyed by fire, reports The Charlotte Observer.

The discovery of the body prompted law enforcement authorities to launch a criminal investigation.

Police had not released the name of the victim or the cause of death.

Family members at the scene identified the woman as Jennifer Allen Jackson, a mother of four who was an employee at Tuscarora Yarns. She and her boyfriend had lived at the one-story tan house for about eight years.

Police have released few details about the fire and have not said what they believe started it. Arson investigators were on the scene for most of the morning, and the State Bureau of Investigation had been called in to help with the investigation.

Investigators spent Monday morning canvassing the neighborhood and collecting evidence from the charred remnants of the house. The porch and window frames were blackened by smoke. A sheet was draped across a front window that led to the living room. The couple’s dogs, which were tied out back before the fire, had not been seen since.

Neighbors provided a rough sketch of what happened the night before. Some were watching late-night TV, others were sleeping, but most came outside when they saw flames, smelled smoke or heard sirens from fire trucks approaching their neighborhood.

Steven Hernandez Jr. lives on Washington Street and came out to see if he could help. He circled the house but said the fire was too hot to get close. Hernandez said he saw Jackson’s boyfriend trying to get into the house past the intense flames.

“He was down the road, and he ran toward the house,” Hernandez said. “He was screaming. He tried to bust the window. He was actually fighting the police.”

Read more of the story here http://bit.ly/16p5eqB