NBC29Fatal Fire Still Under Investigation

Fatal Fire Still Under Investigation

Reported by Ken Slack
August 29, 2007

Nearly one year after a suspicious fire claimed the life of an Augusta county man, the case remains unsolved. But the state police investigation takes a new turn, focusing now on possible forgery before the flames.

The man trapped in last September’s fire may have been a victim for several months leading up to his death. According to a search warrant filed in Staunton, state police want SunTrust Bank records in an investigation of a possible embezzlement and forgery.  Court records say the alleged victim was 71-year-old Carter Lee Gore and the suspect was his home health care provider.

Firefighters had no chance to save Carter Gore or his home on Captain Hizer Lane. Flames were already shooting through the roof when they arrived and the main floor of the house soon collapsed into the basement.

Just hours after the fire, state police got a warrant to search the remains of the house. Augusta county court documents say they were looking for substances that might have started the fire or a weapon that could have been used against the victim. In applying for that warrant, investigators wrote that Gore might have been the victim of theft.

Eleven months later, state police believe a woman obtained funds from Gore's checking account between May and October of last year. During that time period she worked in his home, as an employee of a health care agency.

State police have not yet filed any charges in this case and there is no word on any link between the theft investigation and the fatal fire. The special agent working this case is reportedly out of state on a training assignment and could not be reached for comment.