Deadly fire probed as possible homicide

ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) - Albuquerque firefighters who knocked down a house fire in the far Northeast Heights early Saturday morning discovered a body in one of the bedrooms.

Homicide detectives now have joined fire investigators on the case.

The fire in the 11800 block of Lexington Avenue NE was reported shortly after 6 a.m. with the first fire units on the scene reporting the home as engulfed in flames.

The body was in a bedroom at the back of the single-story home, an Albuquerque Fire Department spokesman reported.

Police said the body was burned beyond recognition leaving the Office of the Medical Investigator to establish the victim's identity.

However, neighbors told KRQE News 13 an 84-year-old woman lived there with her son and that the son survived.

The home also is familiar to police.

"We have had numerous calls of disturbances and suspicious activity at the home over the years," Sgt. Ferris Simmons said.  "This is definitely a property that the police department has been watching and has been on our radar."

Police were questioning the son.

The house is believed to be a total loss, and the cause of the fire remains under investigation.