Woman found dead in apartment fire in December had meth in her system
A woman found dead after a fire Dec. 2 at a southeast valley apartment complex had methamphetamine in her system when she died, according to the Clark County coroner's office.
Causes of 24-year-old Cheryl Marie Dean's death include acute carbon monoxide poisoning, smoke inhalation, acute methamphetamine toxicity and extensive thermal burns. Her manner of death was undetermined, the coroner's office said Thursday.
Clark County firefighters were called about 11:50 a.m. Dec. 2 to a three-story apartment building at 5421 E. Harmon Ave., near Boulder Highway, where 17 families were displaced from their homes.
After the fire was extinguished, crews found Dean's body beneath debris in the apartment where the fire originated, Deputy Fire Chief Jon Klassen said the day of the fire.
The American Red Cross assisted people from 18 apartments — two of the units in the building were unoccupied. Klassen said the blaze was extinguished within 50 minutes of crews' arrival.
The cause and origin of the fire are still undetermined, Clark County fire investigators said Thursday.
Contact Kimber Laux at klaux@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0381. Follow her on Twitter: @lauxkimber
