Body found outside home may have been there for years

RENTON, Wash. (AP) - Authorities say a body found lying outside a home after a fatal Renton house fire may have been there for years.

The Seattle Times reported Friday that authorities discovered the body, believed to be that of 65-year-old Lawrence Steinert, inside a small, fenced patio just outside the house when crews were called to the fire in November.

The body of his older brother, 68-year-old man John Steinert, was found days later when crews were able to go inside the home.

Investigators believe the fire was caused by an electrical heater in a bedroom.

Authorities say because the two appear to have perhaps been the last members of their family and were said to have kept to themselves, it took investigators time to put the pieces of the story together.

West says there doesn’t seem to have been foul play in the death.

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Information from: The Seattle Times, http://www.seattletimes.com