11/05/09 - McNairy County

Suspicious Enville Fire
By: Mallory Cooke
mcooke@wbbjtv.com
6:45 p.m.
 
State and local fire officials are investigating a suspicious and deadly house fire in McNairy County. Investigators say they are not sure what sparked the Tuesday morning fire and cannot identify the person who died inside.
 
John Cole has not seen his brother, Gary, since Sunday and early Tuesday morning his brother's home went up in flames. "The top of the house was just totally engulfed in flames and the floor was on fire. Smoke was billowing out of the house," said Cole.
 
According to the McNairy County Sheriff's Department, the fire started around 1:40 a.m. at the home of Gary and Melissa Cole on Hardin Graveyard Road in Enville. When firefighters arrived on the scene, they found a body inside. "The fireman came back and told me, he said it is not a child. It is a grown man. It is a male," said Cole.
 
Investigators still have not identified that body, but Cole believes it is his brother. "O yes, I am sure. I feel sure it was," said Cole.
 
Local and state officials are investigating the cause of the fire. They consider it suspicious. Neighbors in the area say the couple that lived in the house had marital problems in the past, but investigators would not comment on whether that had anything to do with this death.
 
John said at first he thought the person in the fire was his nephew. "As far as we know, his wife and child were supposed to be home and he was supposed to be in Memphis and the whole thing was reversed," said Cole.
 
For now, the Cole family waits for answers. "I do not know. We will just kind of take it one day at a time after that," said Cole.
 
Investigators said they hope to use dental records to identify the body and are waiting for the results of an autopsy to find out exactly what killed the man inside the home.