Campbell County Police hope fingerprints taken from a badly burned body found Saturday can help lead to the victim's identity.
The gruesome discovery was made around 7:30 a.m. by Central Campbell County Firefighters after they extinguished a small blaze under the Dodsworth Lane Bridge over Duck Creek near Silver Grove.
Chief Keith Hill says the case is being treated as a homicide.
Investigators don't believe the victim was homeless or had taken shelter under the bridge to escape the cold temperatures.
"No. Not weather related at all," said Chief Hill, "No. It's not a homeless situation at all."
The fire was so intense that police can't even determine if the victim was male or female, let alone the cause of death.
Campbell County Coroner Dr. Mark Schweitzer says an autopsy has been scheduled for Monday.
Late Saturday night, fingerprints lifted from the remains were being examined at the Covington Police Department for a possible match with names in a national crime database.
The incident has shaken long-time residents of the area like Chris Pollitt of Silver Grove.
"I guess it's a shock to us and the rest of the community," he said. "It's kind of scary because something that you hear about has come this close to home."
Residents living on Dodsworth Lane near the bridge awoke Saturday morning to see flashing police lights and the sound of sirens.
Joyce Whitford initially thought it was a traffic accident.
"They do occasionally run off the road," she said, "They'll hit a patch of ice and slide over to the field."
Next door neighbor Junior Orme said he was shocked because nothing like that ever happens in such a quiet area.
His bigger concern was the identity of the victim, how he or she got under the bridge and what caused the person's death.
"I'm really surprised because it could be anybody up and down this road," he said. "It could be some friends."
