Medical Examiner Makes Determination In Case Of Body Found In Burned Car In Bridgeport: PD

BRIDGEPORT, CT — The Connecticut Office of the Chief Medical Examiner has ruled the death of a woman found in a burned car in Bridgeport on Thursday was a suicide, Bridgeport police announced Friday.

"The manner of death was thermal injuries," Bridgeport Police Det. Jeffrey Holtz wrote in a statement. "The findings were determined after an autopsy was performed at in OCME in Farmington on Friday."

Through dental records, the Medical Examiner determined that the deceased person was a 59-year-old mother who resided at the address the vehicle was registered to in Trumbull, Holtz said.

The Bridgeport Police Department is withholding the woman's name to protect privacy of her family, according to Holtz.

"Bridgeport detectives conducted an extensive investigation on Thursday after the body was found in the car shortly before 11:00 a.m. at the entrance to Elton Rodgers Woodland Park on Frenchtown Road in the North End of the city, near the Trumbull border," Holtz wrote. "They tentatively identified the person through an interview with a family member. They believed the case was likely a suicide. That was confirmed today."

Bridgeport police received numerous 911 calls just before 11 a.m. on Thursday, regarding a car on fire at the entrance to the park. The Bridgeport Fire Department responded and extinguished the fire. Firefighters found a body burned beyond recognition in the driver's seat.

The Bridgeport Fire Department and Connecticut State Police Fire and Explosion Unit are continuing to investigate the origin and other details of the fire. Additionally, the Trumbull Police Department assisted in the investigation.