Body in Rock Quarry Road fire identified
Police say there was no foul play.
Published Feb. 26, 2009
Investigators have identified a body that was found in a shed behind a house after a fire.
Investigators identified the victim, Randall A. Bailey, 41, after they ran several tests at the Missouri State Highway Patrol Crime Laboratory, a Columbia Police Department news release stated.
The fire happened along the 4200 block of Rock Quarry Road.
Bailey was a resident of Columbia and was leasing the shed from Carolyn Mathews, the owner of the property.
DNA tests had to be performed on Bailey's body due to the severity of his burns, CPD Sgt. Ken Hammond said.
Ruth Montgomery, a forensic investigator at the crime lab, said the tests often take days or months to get results.
Montgomery also said tests such as the one performed on Bailey's body would usually involve obtaining a sample of either the individual's blood or tissue.
"We usually perform comparisons from samples of the person's body from previous years in life," Montgomery said.
Montgomery said the lab does additional tests with items only the person would use.
"Secondary samples may come from toothbrushes or other items only the individual would obtain, or we would obtain samples from a family member or relative," Montgomery said.
Mathews was home at the time of the incident, but she was unharmed.
Hammond also said Mathews reported seeing Bailey on her property shortly before the fire occurred.
The fire started around 3:05 a.m. and the fire department arrived and quickly extinguished the fire. The shed was fully engulfed in flames when the fire crews arrived.
Bailey's body was discovered after the fire was put out, but his body could not be identified at the scene.
Bailey was the only one living in the shed at the time and police believed there was no foul play involved in the fire, Hammond said.
"As of the moment, the investigation is still under way, but it is believed there was no deliberate arson involved with the fire," Hammond said.
Hammond also said all the items destroyed by the fire belonged to Bailey.
"Investigators believe he lived there for several years and had no relatives with him," Hammond said.
Hammond said there are not a lot of people in Columbia living in sheds or other small buildings behind houses, but if there are any individuals who do so, police do not know about them.
