UPDATE: Autopsy Indicates Woman was Strangled
One woman was killed and another man hospitalized Tuesday after an Oak Forest house fire that authorities hinted could be a case of murder.
The fire, in the 15200 block of Central Avenue of the south suburb, was called in by a passerby just after 9 a.m., Oak Forest police Chief Greg Anderson said.
Marin Rodriguez, 48, was found unresponsive on a side porch of the home. He was taken to South Suburban Hospital in Hazel Crest and then transferred to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn in critical condition.
Erica Rodriguez, 40, was found inside the home and pronounced dead a short time later, Anderson said.
Both victims lived at the home, Anderson said.
The Illinois State Fire Marshal and South Suburban Major Crimes Task Force are investigating the fire, which Anderson said is standard practice to rule out any foul play.
Three children -- ages 17, 15 and 6 -- live in the home, but were at school at the time of the fire, Anderson said. A neighbor said two of the children are in high school and the third is in grade school.
