Authorities have ruled that the cause of death of a woman found deceased in a vehicle fire last December was an accident.
56-year-old Sandra Kay Peterson’s body was discovered in a vehicle December 20 in the rear parking lot of the Eastside Baptist Church. The Greeneville Fire Department and Greeneville Police Department located the vehicle fully engulfed and found her body inside after the fire was extinguished.
Radio Greeneville News spoke with Captain Tim Davis of the Greeneville Police Department who said the cause of the fire was due to bales of hay getting caught under the vehicle. The church previously had a nativity scene and hay was piled in front of the building. The vehicle rolled over the hay and heat from the engine caused it to catch flames. The flames erupted, igniting the gas tank, which caused the explosion, killing Peterson.
Davis stated there’s a possibility Peterson had a medical condition causing her to lose consciousness and believes she was unconscious by the time the vehicle caught fire. No foul play is suspected.
