Clark County sheriff’s detectives on Saturday referred charges against a Vancouver man they say set a car on fire, with human remains inside, in the driveway of a Hazel Dell house.
Logan Melchert, 35, is scheduled to appear this afternoon in Clark County Superior Court on suspicion of second-degree arson and unlawful disposal of human remains.
Melchert was already in the Clark County Jail after deputies arrested him Aug. 21 for unrelated warrants, according to a sheriff’s office news release. Court records show Melchert had a warrant out of Clackamas County, Ore., for two counts each of third-degree assault, fourth-degree assault and recklessly endangering another person, along with one count each of second-degree criminal mischief and driving under the influence.
Investigators say Melchert set a Kia Soul, which was owned by his father’s estate, on fire. Detectives are still investigating the circumstances of the fire and the death of the person found inside, the news release states.
Officials have not yet identified the remains. The sheriff’s office previously said deputies were following up on a missing person case Aug. 21 when they found the burned car at a house near Northwest Sluman Road and Overlook Drive.
