Police: Body found in surf connected to fire

Man's body found with gunshot wound; police suspect arson-suicide

AMELIA ISLAND, Fla. – An arson fire at a mobile home Tuesday night is connected to a man whose body washed ashore early Wednesday morning, according to Fernandina Beach police. 

Chief James Hurley said 51-year-old Thomas Rider Ingram, whose body was found at Beach Access 9N near the north end of Amelia Island, appeared to have a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Hurley said police believe that Ingram set fire to a mobile home on Robin Hood Drive while another man was inside. The fire started about two hours after police responded to a disturbance call about 11:30 p.m. involving three men throwing punches. One of the men, Frederick Carr, was arrested for disorderly intoxication, and another man later called 911 around 1:45 a.m. to report that the mobile home was on fire. He was able to escape the fire.

The state fire marshal initially said the fire didn't appear to be suspicious, but Hurley said Wednesday that the cases are related and that he considers the investigation an arson-suicide.

Police said Ingram was also a resident of the mobile home. Ingram washed up on shore about 1 1/2 miles away from the mobile home about four hours after the fire.

Investigators said they haven't recovered a weapon, but that may be difficult because the body was found in the surf.

News4Jax learned that Ingram's criminal record includes arrests in Nassau County dating back to 1999 on charges of aggravated battery, sexual battery and domestic battery, in addition to several traffic offenses. Many of those charges were dropped, and it doesn't appear that he ever spent any time in prison.

There's no word on what started the dispute before the arson and suicide.

Investigators said they're still processing evidence to piece together what happened at the mobile home.