75-Year-Old Fatally Stabbed Before Body Found In Fire

CHICAGO, IL — The 75-year-old man whose body was found in the living room of a burning house Friday morning died of multiple stab wounds, police said. The fire was called in around 6 a.m.. and appeared to have started in a basement of a home on the 5000 block of North Oak Park in the Norwood Park neighborhood, according to the Chicago Fire Department.

The victim, Loren Flensborg, died around 6:35 a.m., the Cook County Medical Examiner said. After a Saturday autopsy, Flensborg's death was ruled a homicide as a result of multiple stab wounds. On Sunday, detectives began an investigation.

Firefighters extinguished the blaze within about 20 minutes of their arrival. The Chicago Police Department Bomb and Arson Unit was called to the scene, WMAQ reported. The cause of the fire remained under investigation Sunday afternoon.

There was no sign someone had broken into the home, with only the front door unlocked. Family members suspect Flensborg knew his attacker, they told the Chicago Tribune.

Flensborg was perhaps too trusting, often providing help to those in need or letting debts go unpaid, a former neighbor told the Tribune. Funeral arrangements were pending Sunday.

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