Preliminary autopsy results show a woman found inside a burning home over the weekend died of strangulation.
33-year-old Erika Jones was discovered unconscious inside a home engulfed in flames on Peoria’s South Side, around 5:30am Saturday morning. Jones was pronounced dead at OSF Saint Francis Medical Center about an hour later.
Peoria County Coroner Jamie Harwood says the autopsy shows it’s unlikely Jones was alive before the fire. Peoria Police say another victim, a man, was found outside the house on the 300 block of South Saratoga and was taken to the hospital with serious injuries.
Police are investigating the possible murder as well as the cause of the fire.