OCEANSIDE — The burning body of a retirement-age man believed to have committed suicide by setting himself on fire was found today in the backyard of a North County home.
Emergency personnel responding to a report of a possible structure fire found the dead man, believed to have been in his late 60s to early 70s, behind a home in the 3200 block of Navigator Circle in Oceanside shortly after 4:30 a.m., according to police.
Though preliminary evidence indicated that the man intentionally set himself on fire as a means of suicide, a final ruling on the manner of his death was on hold pending completion of an investigation by the county Medical Examiner’s Office. Lt. Kedrick Sadler said.
The deceased man’s name was withheld.
Dispatchers received a call around 4:35 a.m. from a person reporting a possible fire at a home in the 3200 block of Navigator Circle, Oceanside police Sgt. Harold Farney said.
Here’s a look from Navigator Circle in #Oceanside where neighbors found a man’s body burning in his backyard this morning. Man appears to be in his 60s or 70s. Right now this is considered a suspicious death investigation, not a murder investigation. @10News pic.twitter.com/VcppBelABz
— Mimi Elkalla (@10NewsMimi) March 8, 2019
A short time later, dispatchers received another call from a person who reported seeing a body on fire in the backyard of the residence, Farney said.
Police and firefighters arrived and found the burning corpse, but no flames coming from the home, he said.
Firefighters quickly doused the flames on the man, but the victim — thought to be in his late 60s to early 70s — was pronounced dead at the scene, Farney said.