PORT CLINTON — Ottawa County Sheriff Steve Levorchick said Wednesday that the body of a man who was found inside a burning vehicle early Wednesday morning in a Walmart parking lot could be a "tragic accident " and not a case of foul play.
The sheriff said the vehicle is registered to a Walmart employee who was scheduled to start work at 5 a.m. Video surveillance footage from the store, which is on State Rt. 163 in Portage Township, also indicated that the death could be an accident, Sheriff Levorchick said.
“The car was fully involved in flames when the fire department arrived and they put the fire out,” he said. “The fact that this was just prior to employees arriving to work and the vehicle is registered to an employee, we believe the victim could be a an employee.”
The body was partially inside and partially outside of the driver-side door, which was open, Sheriff Levorchick said.
The body was too badly burned to identify the victim. The sheriff would neither release the name of the employee who is presumed to be dead nor discuss what was seen on the video surveillance.
“There is no indication of foul play, also at this time we have no indication of suicide,” Sheriff Levorchick said. “We are not certain yet so the fire investigation is under way by the Port Clinton fire department and Ohio Fire Marshal’s office. The anticipation is that this was a tragic accident.”
Firefighters and Ottawa County sheriff deputies responded to a 4:51 a.m. 911 call that a car in the store’s parking lot was on fire and that the vehicle was occupied. Firefighters arrived and extinguished the fire, locating the body inside the car.
The body was sent to the Lucas County Coroner’s Office for identification.