Body too badly burned in Floyd house fire to identify

Investigators are still working to determine the cause of a fire at a duplex on Floyd Avenue and identify the person who was found dead there.

The coroner’s office has made contact with the family of a man who lived at the home but, due to the condition of the body, could not positively identify the victim or even determine if the body is that of a man or a woman.

Stanislaus County sheriff’s Detective Matthew Dessert said DNA testing is needed to make a positive identification and toxicology results are needed to determine a cause of death. He said both usually take around four weeks.

The fire broke out in the home’s living room in the 1600 block of Floyd Avenue on Tuesday afternoon, said Dustin Bruley, supervisor of the Stanislaus Regional Fire Investigation Unit. He said the victim was found in that room.

The cause of the fire remains undetermined. Two people in the neighboring unit were displaced.

This story was originally published September 19, 2018 at 3:01 PM.