COLUMBUS, GA (WTVM) -
BARBOUR COUNTY, AL (WTVM) - Authorities in Barbour County have positively identified the body
discovered near a burned home as that of Willie Pugh who'd been missing for
more than a week. Authorities
have questioned a person of interest in the case.
Firefighters were called
to 4444 Highway 51 South in Barbour County Wednesday night around 8 pm in the
Doster community. The mobile home was fully engulfed in flames when
crews arrived. Officials believe the
fire was deliberately set inside the home.
They believe the fire is
linked to the death of 27-year-old Willie Pugh.
Authorities said the
person of interest in Pugh's case, 41-year-old Willie Dickerson, lives in the
house that caught on fire.
Dickerson is in jail in
Houston County on an unrelated charged. He was taken into custody last
Wednesday after Barbour County authorities noticed a warrant for his arrest
while questioning him about Pugh.
"The person of
interest was the last person seen with the victim the night he disappeared,
that's what originally led us to the person of interest," Barbour County
Sheriff LeRoy Upshaw said.
Pugh's car was located
300 yards from the house that was heavily damaged by fire. Investigators found his
blood-stained clothes inside the vehicle.
His body was found in a wooded area Tuesday.
Pugh was
identified through state dental records and an autopsy performed Wednesday
confirms he died of foul play.
"There is a
possibility that whoever set this house on fire was trying to cover up the
evidence," Upshaw said.
Sheriff Upshaw says
another possibility is retaliation from people in the community upset about the
possible death of Pugh. He says that
investigators have been able to sift through charred remains of the home and
find some evidence, but he isn't saying exactly what they found.
Celeste Johnson lives
next door to the house that caught fire. She says recent activities are unheard
of in her neighborhood.
"I've never heard
of anything like this happening, it's very quite your neighborly people this is
so unheard of," Johnson said.
The case remains under
investigation. Anyone with information should call the Barbour County Sheriff
Department at 334-775-1103.
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51-year-old Willie Dickerson (Source: Barbour County Sheriff's Office)
A body found in the Doster community, two days ago, is believed to be Willie Pugh, according Sheriff Leroy Upshaw.
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