HAZEL DELL, Wash. — A man has been charged with second-degree arson and unlawful disposal of human remains in connection with an investigation into human remains that were found inside a burned vehicle in Hazel Dell last week.
Clark County Sheriff's Office (CCSO) deputies who were investigating a man's disappearance went to his last known address near Northwest Sluman Road and Overlook Drive on Aug. 21 and found a burned vehicle at his home. They contacted CCSO's Major Crimes Unit and, after obtaining a search warrant, detectives found human remains inside the vehicle.
Law enforcement announced at the time that they had taken a person of interest connected to the investigation into custody on unrelated charges, but the sheriff's office didn't release the person's name or list the unrelated charges, citing the active homicide investigation.
CCSO identified the man on Monday as Logan Melchert, and said the investigation so far indicates that he is responsible for setting the vehicle on fire. The vehicle was a Kia Soul owned by the estate of Melchert's deceased father, according to a CCSO news release (police clarified that Melchert's father died several months ago and is not the person who was reported missing).
Clark County jail records list the additional unrelated charges Melchert faces as reckless driving, hit and run, driving with a license suspended or revoked and fugitive from justice.
The events leading up to the arson, including the death of the person inside the vehicle, are still under investigation, the sheriff's office said. The medical examiner is still working to identify the human remains, and CCSO has not released the name of the man who was reported missing for several weeks.
Multiple agencies helped examine the vehicle and the home the day after it was discovered, including the Washington State Patrol Crime Scene Response Team, Clark County Fire District 6, and an investigator from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Portland Field Office.
This is a developing story and it may be updated when more information becomes available.
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