EDGAR COUNTY, Ill. (WTHI) - A man and his infant daughter died early Monday morning after a fire at their residence.
According to the Edgar County Coroner, the deceased victims are Michael J. Phipps, 35, and his daughter, Nettie L. Phipps. The child was two months old.
The Paris Fire Department found the structure 102 Water Street in Vermilion to be fully engulfed in flames around 2:00 a.m. A woman and two young children met firefighters. She informed them her boyfriend and their infant daughter were still inside.
After making entry, firefighters found the bodies of the deceased victims. An autopsy conducted at Terre Haute Regional Hospital on Tuesday morning by Forensic Pathologist, Dr. Dele Adeagbo, revealed that the cause of death for 35-year-old Michael J. Phipps of Vermilion, Illinois was a combination of thermal exposure, carbon monoxide inhalation, and smoke inhalation.
An autopsy conducted on 2-month-old Nettie L. Phipps revealed that the cause of death was a combination of thermal exposure and carbon monoxide inhalation.
The incident and the fire are under investigation by the Illinois State Police Zone 5 investigations, the office of the State Fire Marshall, the Edgar County Sheriff’s department, the Paris Fire Department, and the Edgar County Coroner.
