Authorities in North Platte say investigators uncovered human remains Thursday in the rubble of a March 25 fire that destroyed a metal works business.
Officials aren’t speculating whether the remains are those of 37-year old Jerome Vieyra, the owner of the business and the man accused of starting the fire.
Vieyra was entered into the National Crime Information Center as an endangered missing person when he could not be found after the fire.
North Platte police say they encountered Vieyra at the building during the fire, but that he ignored commands to stop and instead went farther into the building. Witnesses said they heard gunshots followed by fireworks about that time.
North Platte police investigators have been working for days with counterparts from the Nebraska Fire Marshal’s Office and the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office to sift through the rubble and debris from the fire.
A release from the Sheriff’s office says the remains were in a rubble pile that had been searched within hours of the fire. An autopsy is scheduled for next year to try to determine the identity of the victim and their cause of death.