Not Clear Whether Body Is Missing Girl’s Autopsy Needed To Identify Remains Found 3 Miles From Girl’s Burned Home

Authorities were trying to determine Monday whether a badly decomposed body was that of a 12-year-old girl who has been missing since her mother died in a suspicious fire on June 27.

Passers-by found the body Sunday within three miles of the Panorama Mobile Home Park, where the missing girl, Cassandra Emerson, lived with her mother.

Marlene Emerson, 29, was found dead in the charred ruins of the trailer home a half-dozen miles south of Colville. Sheriff’s deputies believe the woman was killed, and the fire may have been set intentionally.

Officers said they feared the girl, known as Cassie, had been kidnapped.

The FBI and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms were called in, and public pleas for information were issued, but there were no solid leads.

Stevens County Coroner Jerry Wetle said the body found Sunday was too badly decomposed and mauled by animals to be identified immediately.

The body was sent to Holy Family Hospital in Spokane for an autopsy Monday and comparison with Cassie Emerson’s dental records.

Wetle said he still didn’t know Monday evening what was determined by the examination. Sheriff Craig Thayer planned an announcement today.

The girl was last seen seven hours before the early morning fire that destroyed her home. Shortly after the fire, Thayer said officers had contacted “numerous associates” but weren’t prepared to name a suspect.

, DataTimes