Friday, February 6, 2015

DEADLY HOME FIRE HAS BEEN RULED ARSON, AS THE DEATH HAS BEEN RULED HOMICIDE IN COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO



 DEADLY HOME FIRE HAS BEEN RULED ARSON, AS THE DEATH HAS BEEN RULED HOMICIDE IN COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO

 February 5, 2015

An autopsy was completed Thursday for the person found dead in a Fountain home during a fire.

Authorities have identified the body as 27-year-old Larissa Tiffany-Schiess. Her death has been ruled a homicide.

The woman's body was discovered by firefighters who had responded to the blaze early Wednesday morning. Police say the death was not related to the fire, and are calling it suspicious. 

A person of interest has been named in connection to the fire. Identified as Keith Myers, he was located by police in Colorado Springs about six hours after firefighters arrived on scene. Myers is reportedly cooperating with police and has not been taken into custody. 

Neighbors tell 11 News that Myers lives in the home on Candlestar Loop where the fire was. The El Paso County property assessor confirms a Keith Myers does live at that address. A car belonging to Schiess was also recovered Thursday in Pueblo.

Crime tape surrounded the Fountain home Wednesday as investigators remained on scene hours after firefighters extinguished the blaze. Firefighters were called to the scene around 2:30 a.m. when an automatic fire alarm went off inside the home. The deceased was found inside after firefighters got inside the smoke-filled. Flames had already spread along the stairwell to both floors.

Chief Darin Anstine with the Fountain Fire Department said, "The good thing was that when we were notified the fire hadn't come to the roof yet. Fire was still inside the house."

Two uninjured pets were rescued from the house. The Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region (HSPPR) responded to the home to take care of the animals.
Once firefighters determined there were no other survivors, they got to work attacking the flames, and had the fire under control within 30 minutes. 

"Due to the nature of what they [the firefighters] discovered, we are treating this as a crime scene," Fountain Police Department Lt. Ron Reeves said.
Reeves said the Colorado Bureau of Investigation and the district attorney's office had been contacted.