The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office is seeking a person of interest after the owner of a car that was damaged by fire said she believes the person she was arguing with may have started the blaze. The Sheriff’s Office would not provide further information about the potential person of interest.
Deputies were called on Sept. 24 after a fire destroyed a 2001 Dodge Stratus at a home in the 3500 block of Hwy. V south of De Soto. The De Soto Rural Fire Protection District told deputies the car was engulfed in fire when firefighters arrived, the report said.
Firefighters also told investigators the fire appeared to have started inside the car due to no damage or signs of an electrical fire starting in or around the engine. The woman who owns the car said its front windows were left down, according to the report.
She also told deputies she had been arguing with a friend and believes that person may be responsible for the starting the fire, the report said.
As of Sept. 25, deputies had not located the person of interest, spokesman Grant Bissell said. He asks anyone with information about the fire to call the Sheriff’s Office at 636-797-5515.