A second body is found 4 days after Renton house fire -- and a mystery surrounds one's death

RENTON, Wash. -- Four days after a house fire in Renton, King County Fire investigators returned to the home Tuesday and found a second body -- this one was inside the charred structure.

Firefighters were called to the house in the 16500 block of 146th Avenue SE in Renton last Friday afternoon. During the investigation, a man's body was found outside near the back of the house, King County sheriff's Sgt. Cindi West said.

Investigators were unable to search the interior of the house because of dangerous conditions and heat, she said.

The King County Medical Examiner's Office later told investigators the man had been dead "for quite some time, possibly months," West said.

On their return to the remains of the house Tuesday, investigators found another body of a man -- in a bedroom. It appeared the man had died as a result of the fire, West said.

Investigators later learned that a 68-year-old man lived in the house, and his 65-year-old brother had lived with him in the past but had disappeared sometime in 2015. The medical examiner believes the body found in the backyard was that of the younger brother who hadn't been seen since 2015, West said.

Investigators determined that the fire originated in the bedroom where the other body was found. The fire was determined to be accidental.