Residents say they are staying vigilant as fire investigators have confirmed a serial arsonist is targeting the elderly in Cottonwood. In the most recent strike, an 86-year-old woman died in a fire at her home on Sunday. The woman's death is being investigated as a homicide. The Shasta County Sheriff's Office is going door to door to homes in the Cottonwood area as they are seeking more information about nine suspicious fires which have sparked over the course of three months. The Shasta County Arson Task Force is investigating the fires are a result of a serial arsonist. The autopsy is scheduled for Wednesday morning for the 86-year-old woman who was killed inside her Cottonwood home Sunday. Wednesday evening, the woman was positively identified as 86-year-old Barcie Arlene Miller of Cottonwood.