FREMONT TOWNSHIP, IN (WTVB) – A Coldwater man is being listed as a person of interest by the Steuben County Sheriff’s Department as they are investigating a homicide.
The Sheriff’s Office got a report on Wednesday that 36-year-old Daniel J. Sheets had not been seen since July 23 and he was not answering his cell phone.
Sheets was reportedly last seen at a residence in the 5700 block of North County Road 675 East which had a fire on the night of July 24.
Sheriff Rodney Robinson said in a press release issued on Friday that as the missing persons investigation unfolded, it was learned that Sheets may have still been at or near the house just prior to or around the time of the fire.
A search of the area was then conducted with the help of the Sheriff’s Office drone. During the search, a deceased victim was located in the garage area of the residence which had not been affected by the fire.
A death investigation was then conducted. During the course of processing the scene, two dogs had to be removed from a camper trailer next to the house.
While removing the dogs, a man identified as 30 year old Steven M. Restemayer of Coldwater was discovered inside the camper. Restemayer was taken into custody on an outstanding DeKalb County, Indiana arrest warrant for failure to appear on a charge of carrying a handgun without a license and booked into the Steuben County Jail.
A subsequent autopsy was conducted and the victim was identified as the missing person, Daniel Sheets.
Following the preliminary results of the autopsy, the death has been ruled a homicide by the Coroner’s Office.
The ongoing homicide investigation is being conducted by the Steuben County Sheriff’s Office and Indiana State Police.
Robinson says the house fire neither caused nor contributed to Sheets’ death and Restemayer is considered a person of interest in the investigation.
Assisting the Sheriff’s Office and Indiana State Police at the scene were the Angola Police, Angola Fire Department, Fremont Fire Department, Indiana State Fire Marshal’s Office, and the Steuben County Coroner’s Office.
(Photo of Steven M. Restemayer courtesy of Steuben County Sheriff’s Office)
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