Human remains found on fire in North Stonington

North Stonington — State police and town firefighters responded to what was called in as a brush fire near the intersection of Jeremy Hill Road and Route 201 on Friday evening and discovered human remains still ablaze, a state police spokesman said.

"At this point, we haven't even been able to determine the gender (of the remains)," Lt. J. Paul Vance said in a telephone interview late Friday night.

Emergency responders were called to the area just yards from the intersection about 7:20 p.m. and found burning remains in the brush about 10 feet from the dark roadway. Emergency medical technicians confirmed there was no life in the body at the scene, Vance said later in a press release.

Early in the investigation, state police at the scene would only characterize the incident as "suspicious." However, the Eastern District Major Crime Squad arrived on the scene at about 9:35 p.m.

Troopers shut down Jeremy Hill Road at Gold Star Highway and at its intersection with Route 201. State troopers canvassed the neighborhood, asking residents if they had seen anything unusual, and stopped all motorists who approached the scene.

Stonington police manned the southern end of Jeremy Hill Road in their town. State troopers staffed the opposite end, which was closest to the scene.

Vance said Major Crime Squad detectives will process the scene for forensic and physical evidence overnight and into today. Investigators from the Office of the State Fire Marshal also responded and will assist in the investigation.

Vance said no identification of the remains had been made as of 11 p.m., and they will be transported to the Office of the Chief State's Medical Examiner, where a postmortem exam will try to determine the victim's cause of death.

c.potter@theday.com