ASHTABULA TOWNSHIP - - Records of missing persons in Ashtabula County are being checked and DNA may be the only clues to identify a male victim of a car fire Saturday night.
The fire fatality occurred in the area of Woodman Ave. and West 58th Street, said sheriff's administrator Lt. Greg Leonhard.
"There was no identification on the body. We hope DNA tests by the Cuyahoga County coroner's office will help us," said assistant coroner's investigator James Baehr.
Leonhard said the state fire marshal's office is being called in to help fire officials and sheriff's deputies determine what caused the SUV Suzuki to catch fire. The man's body, partly burned, was found inside the vehicle. It appeared to be stuck in the field near an access road along the Norfolk & Western Railroad tracks.
Township firefighters were called to the scene by a nearby Woodman Avenue resident, who heard an explosion and then saw the fire. The neighbor witness told deputies of hearing the sound of "spinning tires in the field at 10:15 p.m. and yelling" before the explosion.
Township firemen got to the scene at 10:49 p.m. and extinguished the blaze. Upon finding the body still partly inside the vehicle, firemen contacted the sheriff's and coroner's offices.
The car was completely burned. Officers were unable to get a visible license number off the car.
Deputies searched the area, but found no other persons, according to reports. The witness also told investigators that people frequently use the access road to avoid any trains blocking the Woodman Avenue crossing.
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