Third body found, house fire ruled ‘suspicious’ in Troutman

TROUTMAN, N.C. (FOX 46 CHARLOTTE) – New details continue to come to light about a fatal fire that happened Tuesday evening on Loram Dr. in Troutman.

Officials confirm they located a third body inside the home Wednesday night. Shortly before deputies were notified about the fire, they were called about an ongoing domestic dispute inside the home.

At this time, the Iredell County Sheriff’s Office isn’t ready to speculate about what happened, but are calling the situation “suspicious.” In addition to finding the third body Wednesday night, deputies say they found evidence that will help with their investigation. While they wouldn’t reveal what they found, they said they believe it will help the medical examiner determine a cause of death.

”It’s obviously a lot of work. It’s something any human being would have to absorb, but they’re trained to do it and I feel confident they’ll do a good job,” said Sheriff Darren Campbell.

A neighbor, who didn’t want his name identified, told FOX 46 he grew up playing with the younger of the two sons.

“They were good people who always helped me out when I was having a hard time. They always went above and beyond to make sure I had food in the house, make sure I had a ride where I needed to go,” he said.

Deputies say the younger son left the home to be with the grandmother during the domestic dispute, shortly before the fire broke out. He says his mom sent him out of the house during the argument. The car he left in is one of three the Sheriff’s Office have seized.

“We know he was there. We know he can provide us his brother was there and also that his mom and dad were there,” said Sheriff Campbell.

Still, the medical examiner has not yet made any positive identification on the three victims or determined a cause of death. A spokesperson from the Sheriff’s Office said they found evidence inside the home that they believe will help the medical examiner with their investigation.

“We just don’t know yet. Until the medical examiner makes a call, it could be a lot of coincidence. But we don’t want to speculate on anything until we know a cause of death,” said Sheriff Campbell.

The Sheriff says the autopsies will likely be scheduled for Friday.