Neighbor: 'We really don't know who exactly lived there'
This is a developing story. Watch KVAL News and KVAL.com for updates
EUGENE, Ore. - Sheriff's deputies spent the night sifting through the ashes of a house fire where one person was found dead Tuesday.
The cause of the person's death and the cause of the fire remain under investigation.
"We pretty much treat everything as a crime scene when we get there until we can determine that it's not," said LCSO sergeant Carrie Carver. "We have folks looking over it and keeping security over it to make sure evidence isn't destroyed."
The identity of the deceased has not yet been released.
Crime scene tape cordons off the house on River Road, where a fire broke out around 2 p.m. Tuesday.
Passersby saw flames shooting out of the upstairs window of the home.
Neighbor Jackie Harmon said the people who lived in the home kept to themselves.
"I know of a man and woman that were always around, and at least three kids," Harmon told KVAL News. "But there were always others in and out. We really don't know who exactly lived there."
Harmon said she often heard loud fighting coming from the home.
"The couple that lived upstairs tended to fight kind of loud," she said.
Investigators from the Lane County Sheriff's Office were back on the scene combing through evidence Wednesday afternoon.
"It's difficult to say what actually happened in this house fire and what the cause of death is," said Carver. "A fire in any sort of situation makes a scene very difficult to work. That's probably going to prolong the length of this case unfortunately."
Carver said the medical examiner would release the cause of death within the next few days. Until then, the sheriff's office is not releasing the name, age or gender of the victim.
Things sure have changed. We all used to know all our neighbors. We helped one another, cried with them when they were sad, laughed with them when they were happy. We kept track of their kids, and they kept track of ours, no one was ever hungry or left out in the cold amongst our neighbors. We watched out for each other. Things have really changed.
@souptonuts This is not a typical neighborhood....We live on a busy street where we really don't share common areas other than perhaps the sidewalk. River Road would be a really tough place to have a block party to get to know eachother. I grew up in a neighborhood that was full of kids and there was no need for baby sitters because someone was always around to look after us kids. I would like to think that perhaps those places still exist. This is a sad situation, but I have been told that the kids are doing ok and are safe and are most likely in a better place now so that they can get the lives that they deserve.
First of all I am not ignorant. I answered questions that they asked me. And when asked if I had ever heard or witnessed any altercations my exact words were close to...There have been a few times when we have heard the couple that lives in the upstairs area have some loud fights, but they were never violent and seemed to be like a marital spat that just got loud. I also said that they kept to themselves and I never complained about them. I also said a lot more things that were more important that they never aired. So perhaps if you knew what was said and in what order than you would not be so critical. I can't control editing.
Does the neighbor REALLY need to complain about the people who lived in the house under these circumstances? They may not have been the best of neighbors, but at least three children lived there and it just seems in really poor taste to criticize the sort of people they were/are.  Â
@Amanda Wooldridge: So now the police have arrested the father of the first two children for killing the father of the third child and setting the house on fire to cover the homicide. All while the mother is away from the house after being accused of domestic violence against the deceased father. The neighbor's comments now appear to not be "Poor taste" but factual statements of observed conduct. Â
@Amanda Wooldridge ..you have to get the actual facts before to call someone out....The news edits and airs what is wants..so know what you are talking about
 @Amanda Wooldridge Some people are ignorant when giving a media interview and then the media jumps on statements such as this with no regards to how it may harm other family members. They say it's what the public wants to hear!
@UsaidWHAT @Amanda Wooldridge ..don't call people ignorant until you actually know the facts