Body of state investigator found in burning home | News

GRANITE FALLS, NC (WBTV)- Investigators in Granite Falls say the body of a state investigator was found inside a burning home on Monday.

According to the Granite Falls Police Department, investigators were called to a home along Hunter Creek Lane on Monday afternoon.

Officers say Cynthia Haas came home around 4:48 p.m. on Monday and found smoke coming out of her home. She called 911, according to police, and emergency crews arrived three minutes later.

During a rescue operation, firefighters located the body of Special Agent Christopher Richard Haas, 47, who was pronounced dead at the scene. Haas is a Special Agent with the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation assigned to the Hickory, NC district.

Granite Falls Fire Department quickly extinguished the fire, investigators say, and damage to the home is estimated at $8,000.

Investigators with the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, Granite Falls Police, and the Caldwell County Fire Marshall's Office continue to investigate the cause of the fire and the death surrounding Special Agent Haas.

An autopsy for Special Agent Haas has been scheduled this week at Baptist Hospital in Winston Salem, NC. The autopsy will help investigators determine what caused the death of Special Agent Haas.