Three men have been arrested in connection with the death of a woman found in a burning vehicle in DeQuincy.
The State Fire Marshal's Office says that a Lake Charles man and his two out-of-town coworkers were arrested following an investigation into the incident.
Deputies say that 23-year-old Morgan Douglas of Andalusia, Alabama, was booked on one count of 2nd Degree Murder, one count of Aggravated Arson, two counts of Obstruction of Justice and one count of Criminal Conspiracy.
Dixon Fife, 24, of Lake Charles, and Michael Dean Roberts, 43, of Jacksonville, Florida, were each booked on one count of Aggravated Arson, two counts of Obstruction of Justice, one count of Criminal Conspiracy and one count of Accessory After the Fact to 2nd Degree Murder.
The SFM says that in the morning hours of November 20, the Beauregard Fire District 2 responded to a wooded area off of Alston Cemetery Road in DeQunicy for a report of a vehicle fire. Once firefighters had the flames extinguished, they say, a body was discovered inside.
Deputies say that official identification and cause of death are pending an autopsy by the Beauregard Parish Coroner’s Office. However, investigators believe the victim is a 27-year-old woman from Lake Charles.
Through extensive investigative efforts, deputies say they were able to connect the suspects to the victim through Fife, who had allegedly known her for several years. Fife and the other two men were reportedly roommates working together doing storm recovery jobs in the Lake Charles area.
The SFM says that once the suspects were taken into custody, two of the three allegedly admitted to their involvement in the victim’s death and disposal of her body.
Deputies are asking anyone with additional information about this crime to contact the Arson Hotline at 1-844-954-1221 or share the information through our online tip form found at lasfm.org.
The arrests were made in partnership with the Beauregard Parish Sheriff’s Office, Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office and Louisiana State Police.
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