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SALT LAKE COUNTY -- Salt Lake County investigators believe they know who the person is who was found inside a burning car Friday night. The name of the person has not been released yet, but they have said the person is an adult male. As far as how he died, that's something they're still working on.
Drivers on I-80 saw the burning car Friday night around 10:00 and called 911.
The burning car was found behind an abandoned concrete structure two miles east of Saltair off the old frontage road.
The car was burning when investigators arrived. After the fire department put out the fire, investigators noticed a burned body inside the car.
Lt. Don Hutson with the Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office says the body was so badly burned investigators couldn't make a positive identification on whether the body was male or female. Hutson said, "Obviously, we are treating this as a suspicious death."
They removed the body, which was taken to the medical examiner's office for an autopsy.
Now what makes this case very interesting to investigators is that the burned out car and the body inside is eerily similar to the burned out car they found in Big Cottonwood Canyon on March 9. "The scene looks very similar," Hutson said. "The car is essentially damaged the exact same way. Anything that can burn in the vehicle has been burned."
Investigators determined that case was a suicide.
E-mail: acabrero@ksl.com
