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Harford Co. Woman Died In House Fire; Police Suspect Foul Play

HARFORD COUNTY, Md. (WJZ)—Police and fire investigators in Harford County say a woman who died in her home possibly gave them clues to her death.

Mike Schuh reports her 911 call is just the start.

The 911 call came to Harford County the first few minutes of Wednesday morning. Kathleen Ellis was calling from her home near Bel Air. She was hyperventilating. All she could say was: "was raped today" and "he's going to." Then the line went dead.

Meanwhile, her house was on fire.

"The fire was blazing in the upstairs bedroom," said Chuck Miller, neighbor.

When deputies arrived, they saw the smoke, called the fire department, then went inside and pulled her out from her second floor bedroom.

She didn't have a pulse and deputies gave her CPR. She was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.

The sheriff's office calls this death suspicious. But they're not ready to call it foul play.

"This has been handled by the criminal investigation division major case unit," said Monica Worrell, Harford County Sheriff's Department.

A neighbor has already been visited by homicide detectives. But police detectives want to know if there was foul play and if a fire was set to destroy evidence.

"Any time there's something like a fire that can affect evidence, it makes it more difficult," Worrell said.

Police have no suspects.

Police in Harford County are asking for help from anyone who may be able to give them information in this case.

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