SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) — A man whose remains were found in the rubble of a Springfield house fire has been identified.
The remains of 21-year-old Jeffrey Davis were found weeks after a fire at a vacant home on North 10th Street. Springfield Fire Chief Ed Canny told WAND News last week that firefighters at the scene were "under the impression that everyone was out of the house."
A vacant home on North 10th Street where the remains of 21-year-old Jeffrey Davis of Springfield were found following a fire.
Investigators spent the days following the fire — which happened on May 19 —looking into what had caused it. An investigator was on the scene when a person reported a friend missing, saying he had been living in the abandoned house. "The hardest thing is walking away when we're doing an investigation." said Canny. "And just knowing that that fire started — and we do have such a large homeless community — that somebody could be in there."
After the missing persons report, the Springfield Fire Department called in heavy equipment to do a thorough investigation with intent to find remains. Until that point, their investigation was solely to discover the cause of the fire. Upon finding the body, they contacted the fire marshal and the coroner.Â
Sangamon County Coroner Jim Allmon said the remains were recovered between June 7th and 8th, and an autopsy was done on the 10th.
On June 12th, specimens from the body were submitted to the Illinois State Police for DNA testing. Results were matched to Davis.
His cause of death is currently under investigation.
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