ROSS COUNTY, Ohio — A man is behind bars after deputies found a body inside a burned-out home in Ross County.
Authorities confirmed to the Guardian that a death investigation is underway after a series of events unfolded Monday night at 7545 State Route 28, near Lattaville.
Deputies were initially called to the home after a woman phoned 9-1-1 to say that people had broken inside and she was hiding, according to the Sheriff.
“ …. shortly before 8:00 p.m. my office received a report of a burglary in progress ….,” said Ross County Sheriff George Lavender.
While deputies were headed to the scene the phone line went dead, according to dispatchers, and when deputies arrived at the house they found it fully engulfed in flames. Concord Township Fire Department was called to fight the blaze, who requested assistance from Paint Creek Joint Fire and EMS in Highland County.
Initially, deputies believed no one was inside the house and were concerned that the woman who called for help was missing; the flames, however, prevented deputies from doing a thorough search when they immediately got there. Dispatchers initiated a tracking request on the woman’s cell phone — known in law enforcement as a “ping” — to try and locate her. A long dirt road leading to the home that was covered with snow and ice made it challenging for first responders to extinguish the blaze. At least three fire trucks became stuck and had to be winched from over six inches of snow, while fire hoses were ran from the main roadway nearly half-a-mile to the scene.
Once firefighters were able to put out the flames, deputies requested the county coroner to the scene, while firefighters called for the State Fire Marshal. The Ross County Sheriff incident logs show that the fire is being preliminarily labeled as arson pending further review, but how the fire was believed to be intentionally set was not released by the state.
“We have two investigators and a supervisor working on the case in conjunction with Ross County Sheriff’s Office,” Andy Ellinger, a spokesman for the State Fire Marshal said on Tuesday. “We cannot confirm any arrests and we are continuing our scene investigation ….”
Ross County Coroner Ben Trotter’s office said Tuesday morning that they were handling a death investigation at the scene, but stopped shy of confirming any details. The identity of the body and the cause of death was not publicly disclosed, citing an ongoing investigation as the reason.
Deputies have arrested a man who owns the home, but for now, he has only been charged with minor crimes.
Booking records show that Chase Daugherty, 34, was arrested just before 1 a.m. on Tuesday. His exact involvement to the situation was not shared, but he is being held on a simple charge of disorderly conduct and causing physical harm to another. Lavender declined to comment on Daugherty’s connection.
“The investigation is ongoing and further details will be released as they become available,” the Sheriff added.