Police Launch Suspicious Death Investigation After Body Found In Burning Car In SW Philly
By Natasha Brown
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A day after a man's body was found in a burning car in Southwest Philadelphia, there are still more questions than answers.
Captain James Clarke with Philadelphia Police says, "Very much a mystery right now. The homicide unit is investigating so we'll see where it goes."
Homicide detectives are handling the case with no witnesses and very little evidence.
Fire crews responded to a car fire in the 4700 block of Fort Mifflin Road Wednesday afternoon and discovered the man's body in the driver's seat, in the midst of the flames.
The body was burned beyond recognition and a gas can was found inside the car.
Clark says,"The first thing we are going to do is find out the cause of death. If it's a murder, then we'll proceed that way, doing a full blown murder investigation and try to get to the bottom of who did this."
Detectives are scouring the area in search of surveillance video with the nearest businesses nearly a mile and a half away.
The remote scene runs parallel to a Philadelphia International Airport runway.
Cars now whiz by the charred remains of what's become a suspicious death investigation.
Police are now using dental records to try and identify the victim.
Eyewitness News has learned the car is registered to someone in South Philadelphia.