Autopsy: Kennewick woman in SUV died from smoke inhalation, burns

A Kennewick woman whose body was found Monday inside a burning SUV died from smoke inhalation and severe burns, according to autopsy results.

The autopsy on Carol Jean Haugen, 55, was performed Friday by Dr. Sig Menchel, a forensic pathologist from Bellevue.

Benton County Coroner John Hansens released the preliminary results, but said a final determination on Haugen’s death will be made after toxicology tests are done. That will take about eight weeks.

Police and firefighters responded at 1 p.m. to a south Richland canyon at the end of Gage Boulevard for reports of an SUV engulfed in flames.

Benton County sheriff’s detectives do not yet know how the SUV ended up on the dirt path on the sagebrush-covered hillside or how the vehicle caught on fire.

“No foul play is suspected and all indications are that it was an accidental death,” Hansens said.

Haugen, a HAPO credit union teller, was a lifelong Kennewick resident and had two adult sons.

This story was originally published November 20, 2015 at 11:43 AM with the headline "Autopsy: Kennewick woman in SUV died from smoke inhalation, burns."