HAMDEN - A fire on Lilac Street in Hamden over the weekend has been deemed suspicious after Jennifer Antonier, 45, was found dead inside.
Hamden police say they`re investigating this as a suspicious death. In fact, the state fire marshal`s office said Antonier`s injuries are largely inconsistent with those typically seen in fire-related fatalities.
There are still many questions as to how she lost her life.
George Shelton was Antonier's neighbor for about eight years.
"When the neighbor and I first went out and saw the home on fire, the car wasn`t there," he said.
Twenty minutes earlier, New Haven police were called to Russell Street about a car fire. That car was registered in Antonier`s name.
"I`m not really nervous," said Shelton. "I know my wife is, but I don`t know who did it. Probably someone who knew her."
Shelton says she was well-liked in the neighborhood and was always walking her dog.
"She was a social worker, an artist," he said. "She had a lot of paintings and stuff like that."
He also said he never noticed any strange cars or people at her home.
"Usually she would introduce me to a friend, or a relative," he said. "There was a handyman that did work and stuff like that in the summer but recently, no one has come and gone."