Woman found dead in burning camper
Published 2:21 pm Thursday, January 13, 2011
A body was discovered in a camper that caught fire about noon on Thursday, according to Chilton County Sheriff Kevin Davis.
An autopsy has yet to be completed to determine whether Jonnie Knueptel, 69, died as a result of the fire, and Alabama Fire Marshal Ed Paulk’s office is trying to determine how the fire started.
“We’ve got to get the autopsy done and get a little more information about the structure before we can make a determination,” Paulk said.
The camper was located off County Road 454, near Airport Road, in the Refuge community.
“A passerby saw the fire, and that’s how it was reported,” said Davis, whose department is also investigating the death. “The camper was completely destroyed.”
Davis said the camper had been the woman’s residence for about a year, according to others living in the area, and she was the only one living there.
Gap of the Mountain, East Chilton and Clanton fire departments responded to the scene.