By: Yuritza Arroyo
Authorities in Ocean County announced that on February 18, the Ocean County Medical Examiner’s Office performed a post-mortem examination of Billy Kimbrough, 76, of Toms River, whose body was discovered in a structure fire on Roberts Road in Toms River Township on February 16.
According to officials, the examination concluded that Mr. Kimbrough’s cause of death was Asphyxia Due to Smoke Inhalation, and his manner of death is accidental.
On February 16, at approximately 3:00 p.m., Officers from the Toms River Township Police Department and Toms River Township Fire Departments were dispatched to a reported structure fire on Roberts Road.
According to authorities, during the primary search of the residence, the body of a deceased male, later identified as Mr. Kimbrough, the occupant of the residence, was discovered.
A thorough investigation conducted by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit- Arson Squad, Ocean County Sheriff's Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit, Toms River Township Police Department Detective Bureau, and the Toms River Township Bureau of Fire Prevention determined that the fire originated on a mattress in the only bedroom of the residence and that smoking cannot be eliminated as the cause of the fire.