Remains found at fire in NS are a woman's

North Stonington - The charred body found burning Friday night near the intersection of Jeremy Hill Road and Route 201 has been identified as a woman and her death has been ruled a homicide, according to state police.

Saturday, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner determined that the woman was Asian or white, between 19 and 25 years old with brown hair and brown eyes, had a tongue-bolt piercing in her tongue and stood about 5 feet 2 inches tall, weighing about 100 pounds.

State police Lt. J. Paul Vance said the woman's identity was not known and that detectives are asking people who are missing a loved one or concerned about someone they have not seen for a while to call the Troop E state police barracks in Montville at (860) 848-6500.

On Friday evening, state police and town firefighters responded to what was called in as a brush fire and discovered human remains still ablaze about 10 feet off the roadway. By the time they got there, the remains had deteriorated so much they couldn't tell the gender of the victim.

State police troopers shut down both Jeremy Hill Road and Route 201 and questioned passers-by and area residents as the Eastern District Major Crime Squad processed the crime scene overnight.