A fire took a shocking turn two weeks after the initial event leading, towards an investigation and the involvement of the Texas Rangers.

On Tuesday, November 24, 2020, Freestone County Dispatch had received a call about a vehicle fully engulfed in flames about five miles west of Fairfield on HWY 27, and they put out a call for the Fire Department.

Fairfield Fire was dispatched, and arrived at the scene where they put the fire out and deemed the scene safe.

Once that was done, a Freestone County Sheriff’s Deputy called for a wrecker to take the car to impound.

Fairfield Paint and Body sent out a wrecker, picked up the vehicle and towed it back to their impound lot.

Everything was handled by standard procedure with all of the responders following their training, nothing was out of the ordinary to their knowledge.

Then on Tuesday, December 8, 2020, things became far less normal for those involved when the Freestone County Sheriff’s Office received information that there might be a body inside the same vehicle that had been fully engulfed in flames, two weeks earlier.

The Sheriff’s Department sent three deputies and an investigator to the scene, secured it, and then contacted the Texas Rangers.

The vehicle did contain a body, and a full investigation began which is still ongoing.

The man was a resident of Dallas, Texas who was traveling to Houston. His family was aware he was missing, but did not report him missing to any authorities, for reasons unknown at press time.

The Freestone County Sheriff’s Office is in contact with his family as this investigation continues.

As per Freestone Count Sheriff Jeremy Shipley, the belief is that the amount of ash, debris and residue inside the vehicle at the time of the fire hid the body which impeded the firefighters from seeing that there was a body inside the vehicle.

Further, it is believed that the wind from the vehicle being towed blew the ash and residue around and uncovered the body.

Standard procedure for a completely burnt vehicle, plastic, tires, more is melted, is towed the wrecker driver does not check the cab, because there is nothing left to check.

The investigation is still ongoing as it is waiting for the State Fire Marshall Report and the Southwest Institute of Forensic Sciences autopsy report.

There is no evidence for any form of foul play being involved, but they will know more when they receive the reports.