51-year-old man's remains identified in Deer Park pipeline blast, dayslong fire, police say

HARRIS COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) -- The former wife of the man whose remains were in the SUV that Deer Park police believe crashed into an above-ground pipeline valve, causing a massive fire, said he may have had a seizure before running off the road.

According to police, the medical examiner's office identified the remains as those of 51-year-old Deer Park resident Jonathan McEvoy.

Delma McEvoy told ABC13 he left the family's home the morning of Sept. 16 to go to Walmart and never returned. The site of the explosion and fire was located in an easement next to the Walmart on Spencer Highway.

The ex-wife said McEvoy, who had three children, may have had a seizure because "several months ago, he was having them periodically."

The cause of the incident is still under investigation, according to police.

To identify McEvoy, police said radiography comparison. According to forensic experts, this technique compares skeletal structures in ante and post-mortem images and is often used in cases where only skeletal remains are available.

Police didn't disclose details about McEvoy's cause or manner of death.

While the fire is still under investigation, authorities already said McEvoy's vehicle veered off Spencer Highway, drove through a chain-link gate, and slammed into the valve. The blast and fire immediately sent neighbors living a street over out of their homes, and days later, they returned to melted vehicles, siding, and water damage from fire crews hosing down the dwellings.

There were no other injuries or deaths.

SEE MORE: Human remains found inside SUV that crashed, igniting dayslong pipeline fire in Deer Park

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