Officials remain tight-lipped regarding case of body found in burning car

More than a month after a body was found inside a burning vehicle near Clinton Lake, deputies are not releasing any information about the incident.

When asked about details of the investigation, whether the death was considered suspicious or if the body had been identified, Douglas County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. LeRonda Roome said in an email on Friday morning that no new information was available.

Roome would not clarify whether the investigators had not yet identified the body and determined if the death was suspicious or if they were simply not releasing that information at this time.

Shortly before noon on March 7 deputies were dispatched to Rockhaven Campground, 1046 E. 700 Road for a car fire, Douglas County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Kristen Dymacek said in a news release the next day. Once the flames were extinguished, a body was found inside the vehicle.

Since the body was found, virtually no information has been available. Dymacek declined to release additional information in March.

The campground was empty the day after the car fire was reported, though a charred, black area about the size of a car could be seen in the parking lot. A Honda emblem lay inside the burned area alongside spark plugs, melted metal, springs and shattered glass.

Nearby residents said they did not hear anything at the campground prior to investigators visiting the scene.

The park itself was not open to the public until April 1, though the area was still accessible by cars and on foot.

Roome said the investigation into the death is ongoing.


I report on crime and courts for the Journal-World. I can be reached by email at cswanson@ljworld.com, by phone at (785) 832-7284 or on Twitter @Conrad_Swanson.