(VASSAR TOWNSHIP) — Tuscola County authorities have tentatively identified the victim found in a house fire early Monday morning in Vassar Township as 54-year old Jason Whittaker, but DNA tests are needed. Vassar and Mayville Fire Departments responded to the home at 5747 Sheridan Road just after 2 a.m. Sheriff’s deputies say the home was fully engulfed in flames when they arrived. Firefighters found the victim inside. An autopsy showed Whittaker died from smoke inhalation. The cause of the blaze remains under investigation. Deputies say the house was in the process of being restored. A pickup truck parked in front of the house was also destroyed in the blaze.
