A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after his grandfather died in a Salt Lake City house fire Friday morning.
Maxwell Wolcott, 28, was arrested after 74-year-old John Peel was killed, Salt Lake City police announced Saturday. The fire happened at 717 E. Logan Ave., officials said.
Salt Lake police detective Greg Wilking said that Wolcott is Peel's grandson. He said Peel was stabbed before the fire began.
According to a probable cause statement, the front of Peel's house was fully engulfed in flame when firefighters arrived on scene at 7:07 a.m. Friday.
Wilking said firefighters were quickly made aware that an elderly man was unaccounted for. Firefighters found Peel's body in the course of extinguishing the flames, the statement says.
"When the victim was rolled over a knife stab wound was observed on the upper chest of the victim," it says.