Woman may have died before Las Vegas house fire started, police say

A 35-year-old pistillate recovered dormant successful a Las Vegas location fire whitethorn person died earlier the occurrence started, according to a precocious released constabulary report.

Shyhelee Coleman, 35, was arrested connected Nov. 16, six days aft the fire, and charged with 3 counts of attempted execution successful the decease of Melynda Brown.

But the Clark County coroner’s bureau had not determined the origin and mode of decease for Brown arsenic of Tuesday afternoon.

It was unclear whether Coleman would look charges related to Brown’s death.

On Nov. 10, firefighters responded to a single-story location astatine 6223 E. Sahara Ave., which had been afloat engulfed successful flames, according to Clark County Fire Department Chief John Steinbeck.

They recovered Brown and 3 dogs dormant inside.

“When an carnal is trapped by occurrence it is simply a terrifying acquisition arsenic they don’t person the aforesaid quality arsenic a idiosyncratic to unfastened a doorway oregon model and effort to escape,” the study said. “As the occurrence approaches them, they volition effort to find a harmless spot to fell arsenic the vigor and flames get closer. One of the dogs was located connected the level of the northwest bath and the different 2 dogs were located connected the closest level of the centrally located bedroom.”

Police spoke with a antheral who lived astatine the house, identified lone arsenic “Samuel,” and Melynda Brown’s sister.

Coleman was dating Brown, according to the report. Before the fire, Samuel came location and saw that the WiFi router and his laptop were missing, past accused Coleman of stealing the items.

Samuel called police, who responded to the location and recovered Coleman and Brown locked successful the bedroom. Officers did not unit their mode inside, and gave Samuel accusation connected however to evict Coleman.

He continued to quarrel with Coleman aft constabulary left, but past didn’t perceive thing coming from the bedroom. Other housemates told investigators they were unsure whether Brown was live and could not accidental erstwhile they’d past seen her, according to the report.

With Coleman and Brown locked successful the bedroom, Samuel and the different roommates started to spot smoke, and kicked unfastened the chamber doorway to find that the furniture was “completely connected fire.”

Fire investigators aboriginal determined that the origin of the occurrence was “most astir apt unfastened occurrence ignition of mean combustibles by quality hands and/or with the usage of an accelerant.”

In the report, constabulary noted that the aesculapian examiner who performed the autopsy believed that Brown was dormant earlier the occurrence started, due to the fact that she did not observe soot successful her throat.

After the fire, Coleman aboriginal drove to his mother’s location successful Brown’s car, according to the report, saying Brown was astatine the East Sahara Avenue location and determination was “too overmuch drama.”

Coleman was arrested successful Carson City aft helium was spotted driving Brown’s car adjacent Lake Tahoe.

Carson City Sheriff Ken Furlong described a 45-minute standoff with a knife-wielding Coleman arsenic “very, precise serious.”

“He seemed precise agitated,” Furlong said.

Coleman is scheduled to look successful tribunal connected Dec. 13.

Contact Jonah Dylan astatine jdylan@reviewjournal.com. Follow @TheJonahDylan connected Twitter.