▲ Gyeonggi Suwon Gwonseon Police Station
Regarding the case where a woman in her 90s and her daughter in her 60s were found dead at the scene of an apartment fire in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, police have launched an investigation to confirm the cause of death, but clear outlines have yet to emerge.
With no criminal suspicions found so far, no eyewitnesses, and no clues pointing to the cause of death or the fire from the on-site forensic inspection and autopsy, it is expected to take some time to clarify the circumstances of the incident.
According to the Gyeonggi Suwon Gwonseon Police Station on the 12th, police conducted on-site forensic inspections twice—on the 8th, the day the fire broke out, and the previous day—but have not yet been able to confirm the exact cause of the fire.
Police only believe that the flames started on the floor of the main bedroom where A, a woman in her 90s, and her daughter B, a woman in her 60s, were found dead, but have reportedly failed to pinpoint the exact ignition point.
The cause of their deaths also remains unclear.
Police explained that they recently received a verbal opinion from the National Forensic Service (NFS), which was commissioned to conduct the autopsies, stating, "While there is room to consider it death by fire, additional tests must be conducted to confirm the final cause of death."
In particular, the NFS reportedly conveyed the opinion that the carbon monoxide levels detected in the bodies of A and B were relatively low, requiring blood tests and other procedures to determine the cause of death.
Normally, when death results from a fire, carbon monoxide levels tend to be high in the bodies due to the effects of toxic gases.
Since the carbon monoxide levels were detected as low, police plan to check the detailed circumstances while keeping open the possibility that they may have died before the fire broke out.
However, police explained that even in cases of death by fire, carbon monoxide levels can vary depending on physical conditions and the environment, making it difficult to jump to conclusions about the cause or timing of death based solely on that opinion.
With no signs of forced entry or other suspicions of homicide found, both residents dead leaving no eyewitnesses, and no clear clues emerging from the forensic inspections, authorities are facing difficulties in the investigation.
A police official said, "We will be able to confirm the exact circumstances once we identify the cause of the fire based on the forensic findings and receive the results of the detailed autopsies from the National Forensic Service," adding, "This process is expected to take some time."
The fire broke out at around 4:35 AM on the 8th in a second-floor unit of an apartment in Gwonseon-gu, Suwon, where A and others resided.
After extinguishing the fire in about 20 minutes, fire authorities discovered the bodies of A and B during a search for casualties.
Only the deceased mother and daughter lived in the home, and it was reported that A had difficulty moving due to advanced age, and B due to illness.
(Photo provided by Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency, Yonhap News)
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