January 26, 2004 -- A house fire that killed a 5-year-old boy in the upstate town of Beacon has been labeled suspicious, authorities said.
The cause of the fire is unclear, but police said evidence collected at the scene has sparked a criminal investigation.
"There is some discrepancy between the occupants' description of how the fire started and what the investigation turned up," Detective Lt. Glenn Scofield said.
Eight people were inside the two-story home when the fire broke out Friday. Five-year-old John Miller Jr. was on the porch roof with his brother and mother's boyfriend when firefighters arrived, but went back inside through a window as the blaze grew.
An autopsy showed John, who was found unconscious in the house, died of smoke inhalation, Scofield said.
