Mystery lingers after man found dead in burning home. Fire didn’t kill him, NC cops say
A North Carolina man was found dead in a burning home — but the fire didn’t kill him, officials said.
Now, the 41-year-old’s death is being investigated as a homicide, according to the High Point Police Department.
On July 13, officers turned to the public for help as they try to identify a suspect. They posted photos of a man online who they say is connected to the case and announced that Crime Stoppers was offering a $5,000 reward for tips leading to his arrest or indictment.
The case dates to June 28, when firefighters asked officers to come to the scene of a blaze. At the “badly burned” home near Interstate 74, police reported finding the body of a man who “died from injuries unrelated to the house fire.”
He was identified in a news release as Omar Marmolejo Noriega of High Point.
The police department didn’t share additional details about his injuries in an email with McClatchy News, saying an investigation was ongoing.
Early in the investigation, police sought tips about a storage trailer but didn’t say how it was tied to the case. The trailer was later found.
Still, mystery lingers as “detectives have worked diligently for weeks to identify a suspect,” officers said. Police ask anyone who knows who the unidentified man is or where he is to call Crime Stoppers at 336-889-4000 or use the P3 Tips smartphone application.
High Point is southwest of Greensboro.
This story was originally published July 14, 2023 at 12:36 PM with the headline "Mystery lingers after man found dead in burning home. Fire didn’t kill him, NC cops say."
