Coroner's office IDs body in burned out SUV found at Springfield park

UPDATE @ 7:45 p.m. (June 30): Gary Moore, 50, was the victim in a burning SUV found in Sherman park, according to the Montgomery County Coroner's Office.

Moore’s address was not released.

Friday night, a coroner’s investigator said an autopsy has been performed and the probable cause and manner of death are pending.

UPDATE @ 11:15 p.m. (June 29)

Investigators say it could take “quite a while” before they identify the person found dead Thursday morning in the back seat of a burning SUV at Sherman Park in Springfield.

Crews were called about 4 a.m. on the report of a fire in the treeline, which turned out to be a sport-utility vehicle engulfed in flames.

“Once the fire was extinguished and so forth, the fire department discovered there was a body in the vehicle,” said Springfield police Lt. Jeff Meyer said.

The victim’s identity, as well as age and gender, are unknown.

“At this time ... everything’s open. We’re trying to determine what the cause of the fire was and what the cause of the death of the victim found inside of the vehicle was,” Meyer said.

UPDATE @ 10:50 a.m.

Police and the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation are investigating after a body was found in a vehicle found burning in Sherman Avenue Park in Springfield.

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Police and fire crews dispatched to the park about 4 a.m. Thursday found an engulfed full-sized Chevrolet SUV parked along a tree line, according to a Springfield Police Division incident report.

After firefighters extinguished the fire, police and fire crews found a body in the back seat. It is not known whether investigators believe the victim died before or during the fire, nor have they released information on the victim’s identity, gender or age.

Police said the license plate on the vehicle was registered to a sedan. When police contacted the person who owned the license plate, she told police she sold the sedan last year, according to the incident report. The report indicated the vehicle’s vehicle identification number was unknown.

UPDATE @8:38 a.m.

The the coroner’s office and the prosecutor’s office are on the scene.

Local news from the Miami Valley

UPDATE @7:50 a.m.

The Bureau of Criminal Investigation and more detectives have arrived on the scene of a car fire in Springfield.

Officials have not commented on the investigation.

FIRST REPORT

Detectives are on scene of a car fire in Springfield.

The car fire was reported in Sherman Avenue Park early Thursday morning.

We are working to confirm if anyone was injured.

This story will be updated as additional information becomes available.

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