SCOTT GULLEDGE / Scroll
Fire destroyed the Bell home in Lyman on Sept. 30, killing the family of three. Investigators have since found bullet wounds in the family’s bodies.

In the month that has passed since their deaths, ongoing investigations have exposed evidence, including the use of flammable substances and a revolver in the home, to suggest that the fire was a criminal act, not a gas leak as was previously thought.

“We all wanted to believe that there was no foul play involved and that it was all an accident. But investigators found the furnace and gas lines to be OK. We then learned of an area with accelerant,” said Roy Klingler, Madison County sheriff.

An accelerant, or substance that assists in the intensity and spreading of a fire, is a common tool used in arson.

A trained dog was brought in from Salt Lake City to detect traces of accelerant throughout the house.

“We also found a revolver in the home and decided we wanted to look at things closer,” Klingler said.

Upon discovering the revolver, X-rays of the Bell family were once again analyzed by Klingler and other experts.

“It looked suspicious to us. We exhumed the bodies and took them to a pathologist in Boise to be examined,” Klingler said.

The analysis confirmed the presence of gunshot wounds in all three members of the family, according to the Madison County Sheriff’s Office.

“Our sympathy goes out to all the families involved and we appreciate their understanding and cooperation as well as the community’s. We want to do this [investigation] right and make sure we’re doing what we need to,” Klingler said.

The sheriff’s office has not released any further information about the ongoing investigation.