TOPTON, Pa. (AP) - Authorities say they believe the death of an elderly woman whose body was found in a burning car that was apparently driven into an eastern Pennsylvania creek was accidental.
The Berks County coroner’s office said the body of 71-year-old Kathryn Ercolino of Quakertown was identified after an autopsy Monday was inconclusive.
Fire crews responding to a report of a brush fire in Topton Community Park early Sunday found her body in a vehicle engulfed in flames in Toad Creek.
The coroner’s office said Ercolino died of thermal injuries and smoke inhalation. Fire investigators said the vehicle’s catalytic converter heated up and started the fire.
State police said their investigation indicated that Ercolino was lost and disoriented and her vehicle somehow ended up in the creek.
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