The death of a McConnelsville man in a September fire has been ruled a homicide.
Rodney N. Spencer, 49, of 256 Plum St., was discovered dead in his home after a Sept. 24 fire that has been ruled an arson, a representative from the state fire marshal's office confirmed Thursday.
According to a release from the McConnelsville Police Department, Dr. David Parrott, the Morgan County coroner, determined Spencer's cause of death to be smoke inhalation with extenuating circumstances and declared the manner of death a homicide.
Authorities have established an anonymous tip line where people can call and leave information without fear of their name or number being identified, the release says. The number is (740) 962-1369.
According to the release, a motorist passing Spencer's house around 9 p.m. Sept. 24 saw smoke coming from the residence and drove five blocks to the M&M Volunteer Fire Department to report it. Firefighters and McConnelsville police were on the scene within two minutes.
The fire appears to have started inside the house and spread outside when neighbors broke a window in an effort to get inside and locate Spencer, the release says.
M&M firefighters entered the residence and quickly recovered Spencer's body, the release says. After recent injuries to Spencer were observed, the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation and Identification and the state fire marshal's office were notified.
The release did not elaborate on the cause of the fire or the type of injuries Spencer sustained.
