Deadly Canton Blaze Probed: Investigators Identify Two of the Five Victims, Search for Cause of Fire

By Bill Lilley, The Akron Beacon Journal, Ohio

Jan. 3–CANTON — The Canton Fire Department is making progress in its investigation of the fire that killed five people last Thursday, but Division Chief John Whitlatch said Tuesday that his department is not close to determining the cause of the fire.

“We have arrived at no conclusion, and it could be awhile before we get to that point,” Whitlatch said. “It will be under investigation for some time.”

Whitlatch said that at this point, an alternate heating method “was one of many possibilities” of what may have caused the fire.

The electricity to the house at 1100 Second St. S.W. had been cut off by American Electric Power the day before the fire.

“It would be a natural assumption by the public, but it can only be listed as a possibility, not a probability,” Whitlatch said.

Stark County coroner’s investigator Rick Walters said the remains of Thomas Moyer, 55, and James Brady, 37, have been positively identified.

“We’re hoping we’ve made some headway (Tuesday),” Walters said. “We’ve sorted out who’s who, and we think it’s coming.”

Brady and Moyer were identified through their medical records, Walters said.

“Mr. Brady was the victim of a drive-by shooting in June 2003 and had undergone surgery, so we had those records,” Walters said. “Mr. Moyer had some cancer problems in his lung. We autopsied his chest and matched that up.”

Walters said his office would have to wait for the results of DNA testing before it can positively identify the other three victims — Lou Ann Johnson, 50; her son, Jeff Johnson, 12; and her granddaughter, Desirae Decker, 13. Both youngsters were students at Massillon Middle School. Jeff was a sixth-grader and Desirae an eighth-grader.

“We have limited dental records on the boy and mother,” Walters said. “Our staff dentist met with the family dentist over the weekend, and there is no way to make a positive identification.

“It will depend on the DNA. I talked to some of the family and we’re getting some more DNA samples. We’ve had to do some things differently because of the law.

“We also have to locate two parents for DNA for the little girl. We have some personal effects of the little girl, and that might help us.”

Walters said the DNA testing can take two to three weeks to complete.

Walters said tests have confirmed that four of the victims died from carbon monoxide poisoning.

Walters said that the fifth victim probably also died from carbon monoxide poisoning, but that the test had to be redone.

Bill Lilley can be reached at 330-996-3811 or blilley@thebeaconjournal.com.

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Copyright (c) 2007, The Akron Beacon Journal, Ohio

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