DALTON, Ga. — The Dalton Police Department is investigating a suspected homicide and arson after firefighters discovered a woman’s body inside a burning home early Saturday morning on South Grimes Street.
According to officials, the Dalton Fire Department was dispatched to a house fire at 313 S. Grimes Street at approximately 5:47 a.m. While searching the structure, firefighters located a badly burned female victim inside the residence. Due to the suspicious circumstances surrounding the death, the Dalton Police Department, Whitfield County Coroner’s Office, and the Georgia State Fire Marshal’s Office were called in to assist with the investigation.
Police secured the scene and began treating the incident as both a homicide and an arson case. Authorities say the victim’s identity has not yet been officially confirmed and will not be released until a medical examiner completes a positive identification and next-of-kin notifications are made. Investigators, however, believe they know who the victim is.
During the early stages of the investigation, police received a critical phone call from a woman who reported that her brother had told her he killed his girlfriend at the Grimes Street residence. She requested a welfare check on the home. By that time, officers had already identified the man — an Indiana resident — as a person of interest in the case.
Investigators also discovered that the victim’s vehicle was missing from the scene. The vehicle was entered into a national database as stolen. Around 9:30 a.m., Dalton police were notified that the Kentucky State Police had located the vehicle south of Lexington and initiated a pursuit. Authorities say the driver fled from troopers, crashed the vehicle, and died from injuries sustained in the crash.
The identity of the individual killed in the crash has not yet been officially confirmed. Police say the release of his name is pending positive identification and notification of next of kin.
Meanwhile, the investigation at the Grimes Street home remains active. The Dalton Police Department’s Crime Scene Unit delayed entry into the residence due to toxic fumes caused by the fire. Once conditions were deemed safe, investigators began processing the scene shortly after noon.
Officials emphasize that this remains an ongoing investigation, and additional details will be released as they become available.
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