A man is in custody following investigation into a structure fire in Elizabethtown Wednesday morning that led to the discovery of two deceased individuals inside.
According to Elizabethtown Police Department Public Information Officer Chris Denham, officers responded to the residence in the 500 block of Henon Lane early Wednesday morning where two deceased male victims had been found. Investigation determined that the victims—41-year-old Blake France of Greenville and 43-year-old Anthony Garrett of Elizabethtown—had sustained gunshot wounds.
It was determined the fire had been set intentionally, and officers were able to quickly locate a pickup truck at a local motel that had been seen leaving the scene. Contact was made with 45-year-old Dustin Caudill of Elizabethtown, who had been seen on video surveillance exiting the vehicle and discarding a handgun.
A search of Caudill’s motel room allegedly revealed items belonging to the deceased victims.
Caudill allegedly confessed to shooting the victims and intentionally setting the fire—he also admitted to shooting that a third victim.
He was taken into custody and charged with two counts of murder, first-degree arson, first-degree robbery, tampering with physical evidence, first-degree wanton endangerment and possession of a handgun by a convicted felon.
PIO Denham wanted to commend the dedicated patrol division, investigations section, and the intelligence analyst for their swift and consistently outstanding work. Their efforts led to the identification and apprehension of the suspect within an hour and a half of responding to the crime.