The 59-year-old De Soto woman who died in a fire on Monday morning, Oct. 16, has been identified as Trisha L. Brumitt.
According to the Office of the Regional Medical Examiner, the body was scientifically identified today, Oct. 18.
Brumitt died after she was pulled from a burning home in the 400 block of Johnston Drive, De Soto Police Capt. Jeffery Wynn said.
The home was destroyed in the fire, authorities reported.
Wynn said police were dispatched to the woman’s home to investigate a 911 hangup call just after 9:30 a.m. and when an officer arrived, no one came to the door. At 9:44 a.m., the officer spotted smoke coming from the house and requested the De Soto Fire Department to respond.
When firefighters arrived, smoke was coming from the eaves, De Soto Fire Chief Tony Ochoa said.
He said a neighbor told firefighters she believed the woman who lived in the home was inside.
Firefighters could not enter the house through the front door because a number of Amazon boxes and other items were blocking the entrance. Amazon boxes also were scattered throughout the house and garage, creating intense heat and making it dangerous for firefighters to get around, Ochoa said.
He said firefighters eventually made it through the back door and accessed the woman’s bedroom where she was found. Then, crews had to cut the window opening wider to get the woman out.
The woman was taken by Valle Ambulance to Mercy Hospital Jefferson in Crystal City, where she was pronounced dead a short time later, Ochoa said.
He believes two cats also died in the fire.
The Missouri State Fire Marshal’s Office investigated the fire.
“The fire is listed as accidental,” said Mike O’Connell, communications director for the Missouri Department of Public Safety. “The interior of the home was reported to have been extremely cluttered and the fire originated at a floor-mounted furnace.”