Body found after barn fire identified

BUSHNELL TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) - Authorities have identified the body found after an October barn fire in Montcalm County.

The body of Sidney Joseph Perry, 30, was found after the barn fire on Sessions Road in Bushneel Township in the early hours of Oct. 16. His body was so badly burned in the blaze that it was not immediately identifiable.

Authorities originally suspected the victim was Perry, who was homeless and was known to frequent the area, but were not able to confirm that until DNA results came in.

The sheriff's department's investigation revealed that one of Perry's family members had once lived in a home next to the barn, so he was familiar with the area. He had also been seen in the area a few hours before the fire.

The cause of the fire, which was in a hay barn owned by the mother of State Sen. Judy Emmons (R-Sheridan), is still under investigation.