Charges are pending against a 48-year-old man suspected of killing an 89-year-old woman in her Crest Hill home and then setting a fire to hide the crime, officials said today.
Firefighters found Dorothy Dumyahn of the 2300 block of Caton Farm Road dead in her burning one-story home on Sunday.
Crest Hill police said the case was being investigated as a homicide after an autopsy Monday determined the woman had been killed prior to being discovered in the fire.
The Will County coroner's office said the official cause of death will be determined pending the final outcome of an autopsy and toxicological and police reports.
The suspect, a neighbor of the victim, is being held on probable cause of first-degree murder and arson, said Chuck Pelkie, a spokesman for the Will County State's Attorney's office.
The Tribune is withholding the man's name because he has not been formally charged.
A neighbor who would not give his name said Dumyahn lived alone.
"She was a nice elderly lady," he said. "I would take her food, dinner, sometimes. She loved my kids."
Fire Protection District Battalion Chief Paul Hertzmann said that when firefighters got to the scene, heavy smoke was coming from the 1,200-square-foot ranch-style house.
Crews found the victim inside and brought her out but were not able to resuscitate her, Hertzmann said. The blaze was extinguished within about a half-hour, but the home was destroyed.
The Will/Grundy Major Crimes Task Force is investigating, according to the coroner's office.
csadovi@tribune.com
Neighbor held in slaying of Crest Hill woman, 89
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Neighbor held in slaying of Crest Hill woman, 89
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Neighbor held in slaying of Crest Hill woman, 89
