FAYETTE COUNTY, W.Va. — A homicide victim whose body was found in a trunk after a report of a vehicle and brush fire in Fayette County earlier this month was shot, according to new information from investigators.
Deputies with the Fayette County Sheriff’s Department identified the murder victim as Jeffrey Allen Morton, 55, of Oak Hill.
On Nov. 7, Morton’s body was discovered when firefighters responded to a fire call on Dempsey Mountain which is located between Oak Hill and Fayetteville.
The fire involved a 2001 Buick Century that was registered to Morton, investigators have confirmed.
After the flames were out, emergency officials recovered Morton’s remains from the vehicle’s trunk.
An autopsy determined it was a gunshot wound that killed Morton.
He had last been seen alive in the Oak Hill area on the afternoon of Nov. 7.
Detectives with the Fayette County Sheriff’s Department and State Police troopers are investigating.