His cause of death was pending an autopsy.
HOUSTON — Houston officials have identified the victim found hanging and partially burned beneath the 610 North Loop East freeway late Thursday night as 44-year-old Jeremy Carnes, according to the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences.
Editor’s note: Video above is from previous reporting
Carnes’ body was discovered near Kirkpatrick Boulevard, close to a storage facility, after Union Pacific employees spotted what they believed was a brush fire and called it in around 10:09 p.m. on October 23.
When firefighters extinguished the flames, they made the grim discovery of Carnes’ body hanging from the underside of the freeway.
The manner and cause of death remain pending as the medical examiner’s office continues its investigation. Authorities have not yet determined whether Carnes died from hanging, the fire, or other circumstances.
Lt. Khan with HPD previously stated the death appears “highly unlikely, almost impossible” to be a suicide, citing the combination of the hanging and fire as suspicious circumstances.
Investigators are still working to determine where Carnes was initially set on fire—whether near a nearby homeless encampment or directly beneath the overpass.
Anyone with information about Jeremy Carnes’ death is urged to contact Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS or the Houston Police Homicide Division.
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