House fire where Overland Park woman died investigated as ‘suspicious’: police

A house fire in which an Overland Park woman died Sunday night appears to be “suspicious,” according to police.

The woman, 67-year-old Leanora C. Marks, was pulled Sunday night from the basement of her burned house in the 7500 block of Kessler Lane.

She was injured and unresponsive at the scene, fire officials said, and later died at a hospital.

Overland Park police are investigating the incident along with the Overland Park Fire Department, but are not calling Marks’ death a homicide, police spokesman Officer John Lacy said Monday.

Police asked anyone with information to call a detective at 913-344-8721.

Marks’ husband, reached by phone Monday, said police had notified him of his wife’s death but had not provided any more information. The couple were in the midst of a divorce.

“I was shocked,” John Marks said.

The fire at the home was reported about 9 p.m. Sunday. The first firefighters arriving at the split-level, single-family house reported heavy smoke coming through the roof.

As a crew of firefighters attacked the blaze in the upper level, another group of firefighters searched the home for anyone inside.

They found Marks injured in the basement and pulled her out.

Marks was rushed to a hospital in critical condition. No one else was home at the time, and there were no other injuries.

The fire appeared to have started in the basement of the home, where Marks was found, according to the fire department. The majority of the fire damage, however, was to the upper level.

This story was originally published November 12, 2018 at 12:03 PM.