ROSS COUNTY, Ohio — The name of the individual found inside a burned-out home in Ross County was released Thursday morning.
According to the Ross County Coroner’s Office, Chelsea Rae Josephine Cooper, 30, was identified.
Dr. Ben Trotter said that “no other injuries other than those as a result of the fire were found during the autopsy.”
Deputies were initially called to the home after the 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 en route 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.
The Concord Township Fire Department was called to fight the blaze and was assisted by Paint Creek Joint Fire and EMS in Highland County.
Deputies initially believed no one was inside the house and were concerned that the woman who called for help had gone missing. However, the flames prevented deputies from conducting a thorough search when they arrived. Dispatchers initiated a tracking request on the woman’s cell phone — known in law enforcement as a “ping” — to try and locate her.
Once firefighters were able to put out the flames, the body of Cooper was discovered.
The Ross County Sheriff’s Office says the case remains under investigation.