Investigators identify body in burning van
A body was found inside a van Tuesday that left the road and burned, but so far it's unclear what led to those events, officials said.
Jackson Police Department identified the deceased driver of a burning van found in the woods Tuesday as Justin Elmasian, 41.
Around 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, a van appeared to have left the roadway on East River Road, which is at the east end of Fortification Street in Jackson. The van had about a 40-foot drop, authorities said, and may have hit trees on the way down the embankment. Someone who called authorities said they thought they heard some popping sounds that could have been gunshots.
"The victim is severely burned, and the vehicle is also severely damaged," said Jackson Police Chief Lee Vance.
Hinds County Coroner Sharon Grisham-Stewart said she had not initially detected any signs of trauma beyond that caused by the fire. Elmasian will be sent to the state crime lab for autopsy.
"We're not ruling anything out at this point because we haven't been able to do a thorough investigation of the body or anything yet," Vance said.
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There are some skid marks visible on the roadway, but it's unclear if they are related to the wreck or not.
Vance said Elmasian appears to have been the driver of the vehicle.
Contact Therese Apel at tapel@gannett.com. Follow her on Facebook and Twitter.