Authorities said Monday afternoon Charlie Russell, 78, who died Saturday night when his mobile home caught fire, succumbed to smoke inhalation.
Neighbors said Russell has fallen asleep before with a lit cigarette, though officials have yet to rule on the exact cause of the fire. Some had speculated that the fire was intentional. But Lauderdale County Coroner Clayton Cobler said the preliminary findings from the state medical examiner ruled the cause of death as smoke inhalation.
Meridian Fire Department Chief Jeff Homan said fire marshal's were sifting through the remains of the trailer again Monday morning. Homan said the investigation is still in progress. Results of the investigation could come today or Wednesday, he said.
"I don't like to push my fire marshal's for quick results," said Homan, who has yet to receive other autopsy results. "Plus, we are waiting on the findings of the medical examiners and their final determination of what caused his death. We want to make sure what we are seeing coincides with other information in the incident."
MFD firefighters were called to Russell's 30-year old mobile home located on the corner of Fifth Street and 38th Avenue at about 8 p.m. and found it filled with black smoke. The flames were quickly extinguished. Russell's body was found near the back door. Officials at the scene said it appeared Russell was overpowered by the smoke as he tried to flee the mobile home.
Local News
Early report of fire death released
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High Honor
The flowers and balloons Crestwood Elementary School Principal Kimberly Kendrick received at school Monday were not an early Valentines' Day gift.
Kendrick has been named Meridian Public School District's 2012 Administrator of the Year – an announcement that both surprised and wowed the 17-year veteran educator when made by MPSD Superintendent Dr. Alvin Taylor. -
Master Dance Class
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Digital system promises better communication
Hopefully in the near future you won't hear someone in the emergency services ask over the radio, "Can you hear me now?"
A digital communications system, one which is being pushed by the Federal Communication Commission (FCC), is a few months away and, in some cases, is already in the testing phase in Lauderdale County. -
Inmate escapes custody
Mississippi Department of Corrections officials said Monday afternoon an inmate escaped from custody Friday and is still being sought.
Officials said Johnny Hall Jr. escaped from two Wilkinson County Correctional Facility officers’ custody while being escorted from his father’s wake at the Picayune Funeral Home in Picayune. Preliminary information indicates Hall left the officers and jumped into a waiting black vehicle with a white female driver. -
Citizen’s Police Academy begins today
The work law enforcement conducts on a daily basis is often misunderstood by the general public.
Officials at the Meridian Police Department developed a program to inform and educate citizens on what police do in serving and protecting the population. The program, The Citizen's Police Academy, has been gaining speed for a couple of years since it was first offered. Officials said it shows residents are interested in police work and how it is conducted. - Woman: decongestant brought meth charge in Alabama
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Star Of The Week: Dominique Goodwin-Jenkins
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SoMiSPO brings steel drum rhythms to MCC
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About face
Nothing is forever in the military and after a months-long battle to secure a C-27J Spartan flying mission and its field training unit at Key Field and the 186th Air Refueling Wing, it seems all of that is flying the way of the KC-135 tankers that used to fill the skies over Meridian.
- Marriages & Divorces: Sunday, February 5, 2012
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