SYLACAUGA, Ala. – A woman suspected of arson was found dead in a Sylacauga cemetery Monday afternoon.
Around 3:00 p.m. the Oak Grove Fire Department, assisted by the Sylacauga Fire Department (SFD), arrived to the scene of a fire consuming 25 percent of a single family dwelling just outside of the Sylacauga city limit. The fire was a threat to neighboring homes, but the fire departments were able to extinguish the blaze by 4:00 p.m. with the fire destroying roughly 50 percent of the home.
Officials told SylacaugaNews.com the suspected cause of the fire is arson, although the state fire marshal’s office will come out to do a report this week.
This is where the story turns tragic. The SPD said in a release that at approximately 4:30 p.m. it responded to a scene in Evergreen Cemetery. Officers arrived on the scene to find a 60-year-old female, a resident of Talladega County, sitting in a vehicle suffering from what appeared to be a self-inflicted fatal wound. SPD said its investigators arrived to work the scene, and Talladega County Coroner Shaddox Murphy responded to take custody of the victim.
In the investigation, it was learned the victim was also the arson suspect.
