UINTAH COUNTY, Utah — Investigators are looking into two fatal incidents in Uintah County after a man died in a house fire, and his mother was shot at a care facility on New Year's Eve.
The Naples Police Department said in a release that firefighters were sent to a fire at a home in Vernal on Sunday.
As crews extinguished the blaze that was actively burning inside the home, they discovered a man who had died, later identified as 42-year-old Vernal resident Mark Ryan Bingham.
While officials investigated the fire, Naples responders were sent to a residential care facility within the city for a "medical event."
"When law enforcement arrived, it was apparent the adult female was beyond life-saving efforts," officials reported. "Through the initial investigation, it was determined the patient was deceased as the result of a gunshot wound."
The woman was identified as 72-year-old Patricia Bingham.
Naples Police later confirmed that the two deceased victims were a mother and son, and they have a "strong belief" that the incidents are connected. Further details on the matter were not immediately available.
Police said a suspect had been identified and "law enforcement is certain there is no active threat to the community."
Vernal and Naples investigators are "actively" looking into each incident.
Stay with FOX 13 News and fox13now.com for the latest updates on this developing story.
