Full Notification

CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION DIVISION
JACKSON POLICE DEPARTMENT
PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DATE: April 13, 2014
BY: Chief Gill Kendrick

Point of Contact: Capt. Tyreece Miller 731-425-8676 [email protected]

Police Investigate Circumstances Surrounding Woman's Death in Early Sunday Morning Car Fire


Jackson police are investigating the circumstances surrounding a woman's early morning death in a car fire.

Around 3:15 a.m. Sunday, police responded to a car fire in the 700 block of Whitehall Street. A 1983 Chevrolet Caprice was in the wood line and fully engulfed in flames. A 27-year-old Jackson man was at the scene and told officers that his girlfriend was in the burning car. The Jackson Fire Department responded and extinguished the fire. The woman was found dead inside.

The man was transported by ambulance to Jackson-Madison County General Hospital. He was treated for burns and released.

A county medical examiner and police investigators were summoned to the scene.

The woman was identified as Taliesha Souter, 25, of Jackson. Her body was transported to the state Medical Examiner's Office in Nashville for an autopsy.

Based on the preliminary investigation, Souter was driving and her boyfriend was in the front passenger's seat. They were the only two people in the car. Investigators learned that the man was carrying an uncovered container of gasoline in his lap. Souter attempted to light a cigarette, and the gas ignited and caused the fire.

The car then left the roadway. The man was able to get out while the car was still moving, and Souter remained in the driver's seat. The car continued on until it stopped where first responders found it.