Home set on fire to hide murder, and the suspect is ‘armed and dangerous,’ NC cops say

The man found dead Saturday in his burning home near Winston-Salem was murdered, and the elusive suspect is “dangerous,” according to a statement issued by the Davidson County Sheriff’s Office in North Carolina.

Investigators are searching for 20-year-old Carson Glenn Simmons, who is wanted for first degree murder, robbery with a dangerous weapon and first degree arson, said a sheriff’s office release.

“Carson Glenn Simmons is....considered armed and dangerous,” said a statement from Capt. D. Miller of the Davidson County Sheriff’s Office. “If you come into contact with Carson Simmons immediately call 911.”

The public is being warned by the department not to attempt to apprehend Simmons.

Investigators have identified the victim as 56-year-old Dennis James Vernon of the 350 block of Normans Lane in Winston-Salem.

His body was found when firefighters responded to a blaze at his home shortly after 8 a.m. Saturday, according to a sheriff’s office release.

“An autopsy later revealed that Dennis James Vernon died at the hands of another as a result of an assault,” a sheriff’s release said.

Investigators did not say how Vernon was killed or whether Vernon and Simmons knew each other.

Simmons’ last known address was at another home in the 100 block of the same street Vernon lived on, officials said.

The home is in the Wallburg Community of Ivy Oakley Road, officials said. The neighborhood is a modular home community just outside the Winston-Salem city limits.

This story was originally published October 30, 2018 at 3:31 PM.