UPDATE (11/03/2014): A press statement released by Bismarck Police has revealed that the death of Kelly Saude was an apparent suicide. Last Thursday, Saude was reported to authorities as a missing person by a family member. The last contact with him was September 26th.
The storage unit where his body was found was being rented by the victim.
UPDATE (10/31/2014): The body discovered in a fire-damaged cold-storage unit has been identified as Kelly Saude, 54, of Bismarck. An autopsy has determined the official cause of death as smoke inhalation.
The case remains under investigation.
Via press release:
The Bismarck Police Department is investigating the unattended death of a body found in a cold-storage unit.
On Tuesday at 5:49 pm, Bismarck Police responded along with the Bismarck Fire Department to a fire at a cold-storage unit at 311 Enterprise Street. When units responded, the building was engulfed in flames. The fire was contained to three units. The Fire Department conducted an investigation and determined the area of origin. The Fire Department secured the scene for further investigation.
Today at 1:54 pm, Bismarck Police were called back to the scene when an insurance investigator, trying to determine the cause of the fire, discovered a body amongst the burnt debris.
The body has not been identified. The case is under investigation by Bismarck Police and Bismarck Fire Departments.
