LITTLETON, W.Va. — State police are investigating last week’s fatal fire in Wetzel County as a triple murder after autopsies revealed the victims were killed before the blaze started.
Troopers identified the victims as 63-year-old Michael McDougal and 55-year-old Carmen McDougal, both of Littleton, and 48-year-old Jimmy Kisner of Aleppo, Pa. They were discovered after a house fire in the community of Littleton on Jan. 14.
“It seems at this point they were deceased prior to the fire,” State police Sgt. J.E. Shriver told MetroNews on Tuesday.
Shriver said the homicide evidence came from autopsies, though reports have not been finalized by the state Medical Examiner’s Office.
Police asked anyone with information to call the Hundred State Police Detachment at 304-775-4488. Shriver said he believes someone in the small community knows what happened.
“Any calls that we get, the person can remain anonymous,” Shriver said. “We will keep the information to ourselves and run with the information they give us.”