PERRYSBURG TOWNSHIP, OH (Toledo News Now) - Perrysburg Township police are still investigating what happened one day after a body was discovered in a home on Washington Street.
Emergency responders were called to the home on a report of a fire in the mulch outside the duplex. Once the fire was extinguished, crews entered the home to check the safety of everyone there.
Police say they found a body inside the home. It took some time for police to obtain a search warrant and re-enter the home. When they did, the body was removed and the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation arrived to look into the death.
All crime scene tape has been removed Thursday June 19. The Lucas County coroner has ruled this investigation inclusive so far. Police stopped surveillance on the duplex Thursday afternoon. Many questions are still unanswered about what happened.
"I was shocked. I wasn't aware that anything was going on until a neighbor of mine said something about a house on fire and they found a body," said Perrysburg Heights resident Philip Buck.
A fire turned death investigation has left many community members stunned. They are unsure if the victim died of natural causes or if something more sinister happened inside.
"We had a call that there was a fire in the mulch area near the house. We went there and the caller was a little concerned because he said somebody was in the house he thought," said Deputy Chief Mike Gilmore, Perrysburg Township Police.
Police are awaiting the coroner's report before they can move forward in their investigation.
"They did complete it but there are still some things they are going to be checking. So we're still kind of undetermined exactly what happened," said Gilmore.
While investigators search for answers, neighbors say to not jump to conclusions based on the location.
"I think they try to stereotype it. We're not the richest community you know, but they are hardworking people just trying to make a living like everybody else," said Buck.
All names are being withheld until family members have been notified.
