What police have determined about body found in burning car in Modesto

The investigation into a body found in a burning parked car in northeast Modesto on Sunday indicates suicide, a police lieutenant said Monday.

Though autopsy results are pending and the investigation is ongoing, there appears to be no outside involvement in the person's death, Lt. Mark Weiglein said he was told by detectives.

About 11:15 a.m. Sunday, a police patrol officer driving on Oakdale Road saw smoke coming from a parking lot between Stop ’N’ Save Liquors and CTT Transmission business just south of Sylvan Avenue.

The officer called for the Modesto Fire Department, whose crews put out the fire and found the body inside.  Because of the severity of the fire, police could not confirm at the scene the gender of the person.

Weiglein said Monday that if the gender and the person's identity have been confirmed, he hasn't heard. He said that while detectives believe the death was self-inflicted, it remained undetermined whether it was by the fire or other means.

This story was originally published February 19, 2018 at 11:28 AM with the headline "What police have determined about body found in burning car in Modesto."