Man found dead after house fire in Kosciusko Co. ID’d

KOSCIUSKO COUNTY, Ind. (WANE) A man found dead inside a house that caught fire near Yellow Creek Lake in Kosciusko County has been identified.

John D. Etchison, 46, was found inside a fully engulfed home in the 8600 block of South Valentine Road around 3 a.m. Saturday. He was identified by a forensic odontologist Sunday by dental records, Kosciusko County Coroner Anthony Ciriello said.

Etchison’s badly burned body was found after crews from the Seward Township Burket Volunteer Fire Department extinguished the flames and began an investigation.

It’s not clear what caused the fire but Ciriello said Monday that the Indiana State Fire Marshal’s Office ruled the fire accidental.

It’s also unknown whether Etchison was killed by the fire or if he was already dead. Ciriello said the results of an autopsy are pending laboratory results.