A Cornelia man was found dead Monday in his apartment after emergency personnel were called in to investigate a fire.
Around 10 a.m. Monday, the landlord from whom the man was renting went to speak to him and noticed what appeared to be smoke and fire damage to the outside of the building, Cornelia Police said.
The landlord used the master key to get in and discovered that the inside of the apartment had been burned. The fire had extinguished itself somehow, Cornelia Police Chief Jonathan Roberts said, but responders from the Cornelia Fire Department arrived to make sure there were no hotspots.
During inspection, the remains of Thomas Spangler, 57, of Cornelia were discovered. The landlord told Cornelia Police and the GBI that he had not seen Spangler since Friday.
The State Fire Marshal and the GBI took over the investigation from there.
The GBI said Tuesday that the fire in the residence is believed to be related to a propane heater within the home.
Roberts said the GBI was called in to determine if there was anything criminal related to Spangler’s death.
Autopsy results are pending.