MACKINAC COUNTY, Mich. (WZMQ) – Michigan State Police (MSP) are investigating an arson and suicide case in Mackinac County.
At approximately 3:00 p.m. on February 21, troopers from the MSP St. Ignace Post responded to a welfare check at a residence on Portage Street in Moran Township. When troopers arrived outside the residence, the house suddenly erupted into flames. The fire spread rapidly and is believed to have been fueled by an accelerant.
As the fire intensified, suspected gunshots were heard from within the residence. Due to the fire, troopers could not immediately enter the home. The St. Ignace Fire Department was requested, and firefighters extinguished the blaze. The house was a complete loss.
After the fire was put out, MSP Fire Investigation Unit personnel responded to the scene to assist. MSP Crime Lab personnel helped process the scene, and the MSP Bomb Squad was on site to be available if any suspicious devices were located due to the speed at which the fire had started.
In a search of the residence, responders found the body of a single deceased individual, believed to be the adult male homeowner. The preliminary investigation indicates that the fire was deliberately set. The fire and the suspected gunshots appear to have been a self-inflicted effort by the homeowner to take his own life. Another adult known to reside at the home was not present during the incident and remains unharmed. Nobody else is believed to have been in the residence when the fire started, and no other bodies or suspicious devices were discovered.
The Michigan State Police investigation into this incident is ongoing, including forensic processing of the evidence and having a forensic autopsy completed. The name of the deceased subject is not being released at this time.
MSP was assisted by the St. Ignace Fire Department, Mackinac County Sheriff’s Department, St. Ignace Police Department, Straits Area EMS, and Chippewa County Dispatch
