Kenyon Home Destroyed by Fire Mysterious Death Involved

The home of Jerry and Barb Peterson of Kenyon was lost to a New Year's Eve fire that claimed the life of an unidentified person in a vehicle parked outside the home.

The call came in at 6:14 p.m. on December 31, 2020 and was initially phoned in as a fire at the Kenyon Country Club.  The Peterson home is located in the 45000 block of Highway 56 Blvd in Holden Township.

The Goodhue County Sheriff's Department news release does not identify the homeowners.  I checked with some sources in Kenyon to get that information.  Thankfully the Petersons were in Arizona.

The Goodhue County Sheriff's Department news release says, "Upon arriving firefighters located human remains in a burnt vehicle parked outside the residence."

In  addition to the Petersons in Arizona all of their family members are accounted for and I was told the vehicle did not belong to the Petersons.

An autopsy is being performed by the Southern Minnesota Regional Medical Examiner's Office to positively identify the deceased.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the Minnesota State Fire Marshal's Office and Goohue County Sheriff's Office.

The Kenyon Fire Department was assisted by Wanamingo Fire in responding to the call along with the Kenyon Police Department and Goodhue County Sheriff's Office.

I contacted the Goodhue County Sheriff's Office and was told no additional information is being released at this time.  There may be an update on Monday.