Former Union County assistant district attorney dies in house fire

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By Liz Foster

UNION COUNTY, N.C. — Local, state and federal investigators spent hours Monday and Tuesday at the scene of a fire that killed a former Union County prosecutor.

[ RELATED: Colleagues remember former prosecutor who died in Union Co. house fire ]

Anne Reeves, 38, a former assistant district attorney, died in the fire, which happened around 1 p.m. Monday at her family's home on Ironwood Drive near Weddington.

Authorities were back out at the scene early Tuesday and told Channel 9 that Reeves' body was found in a truck in the basement garage of the home.

Officials were trying to determine if the fire was accidental or intentionally set.

[ PHOTOS: Scene of deadly fire near Weddington ]

“It’s just really sad. It makes you want to cry,” said Nichole Swope, who lives next door. She watched in horror as federal, state and local investigators sifted through damage at the Ironwood Drive home.

“I don’t know what happened or why it happened but it’s really sad,” Swope told Channel 9.

Investigators have been focusing on the basement garage of the home, where the fire may have started. They’re still trying to figure out how Reeves died and how the fire started.

“At this point, we can’t rule anything out. We can’t classify this as anything other than a fatal tragic fire," Sheriff’s Office spokesman Tony Underwood said.

Eyewitness News anchor Liz Foster learned the Sheriff’s Office was called to the Reeves’ home in June for an overdose. The report lists Anne Reeves as the victim, but Underwood declined to release more details.

Neighbors told Foster that Reeves and her husband have two young boys. Authorities believe Reeves was home alone when the fire broke out, Underwood said.

Reeves' husband has answered questions from investigators.

Investigators from the State Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the fire marshal’s office and the Sheriff’s Office are all working the case.

“Our hearts go out to the family of Mrs. Reeves. Rest assured, we will continue to investigate this matter and look into every possible cause of her death and this fire,” Sheriff Eddie Cathey said.

Crews had searched through the rubble Monday and officials brought in a backhoe to help retrieve the body from the home.

“It’s really too early to eliminate anything,” Underwood said.

“Obviously, neighbors are out, they're concerned about what happened. People want to be reassured that there is no criminal activity that occurred in this particular residence, but at this point it's too early to say that," he said.

The home was deemed a total loss, with just some of the structure still standing.

Check back with wsoctv.com for updates on this story.

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