UPDATE: Investigators Determine Cause of Burned Body Found at Apartment Complex on Elm Street Wednesday

On Wednesday, January 17, the Lake Charles Police Department was called out to investigate a burned body found in the courtyard of the Elmwood Apartment Complex located at 2020 Elm Street. The coroner's office has determined the incident was self-inflicted, said an LCPD media release.

Officers responded to the call at 4:56 p.m., where they found the female victim deceased and burned. There was also a gasoline can near the body. Evidence collected at the scene showed that the victim died after setting her self on fire.

The victim has been identified as 48-year-old Erica Hamilton, a resident of the apartment complex. Detectives reportedly located video footage of Hamilton purchasing gas from a local store sometime before she set herself on fire.