Sheriff’s office investigating after body found in burning car near Clinton Lake
Deputies are investigating the case of a body found inside a burning vehicle near Clinton Lake.
Shortly before noon on Tuesday deputies were sent to Rockhaven Campground, 1046 E. 700 Road, for a car fire, Douglas County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Kristen Dymacek said in a news release on Wednesday. Once the car fire was extinguished a body was found inside the vehicle.
Because the incident is actively under investigation, Dymacek said she would not release any additional information on Wednesday.
The area at the campground Wednesday was empty. No investigators were present, nor were any pedestrians.
A charred, black area about the size of a car could be seen in the gravel of the parking lot. Within the ashes were spark plugs, melted metal, springs and shattered glass.
A single Honda emblem also lay inside the burned area.
Close to 6 p.m. Tuesday Jon Rowland and his stepfather, Arthur Foote, who live in one of the homes nearest to the park said they could see deputies in the area.
Rowland said he went outside to grab some motorcycle parts from the garage and he noticed a “thick black smoke” coming from the area.
A deputy was in the road near the park’s entrance, blocking anyone from entering, Rowland said.
Shortly after he noticed the smoke, Rowland said he also saw an ambulance and a fire truck headed to the area as well.
Foote and Rowland said they have lived in the area for a few months, but they haven’t seen any criminal activity since they moved in.
“It’s nice and quiet,” Foote said.
The park has been especially slow during the winter months, Rowland said.
A representative from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, who oversees Rockhaven Park, said the park is currently closed and does not open until April 1.
Aside from catching a glimpse of the deputy’s lights, Foote said he wasn’t sure what was going on in the area. No members of law enforcement approached his home after the incident.
Despite any unanswered questions, both Rowland and Foote said they weren’t particularly nervous about the body found near their home.
“It’s not going to change the way we live any,” Foote said.
As of Wednesday afternoon no arrests in the Douglas County Jail’s online booking logs appeared to coincide with the body found at Rockhaven Park.