Man found dead in Fernwood blaze was beaten: autopsy

CHICAGO - Police are conducting a homicide investigation after a 68-year-old man was found dead with trauma Thursday in a burning home on the South Side.

James Dyer died from being hit with a blunt object and from injuries from the fire, according to autopsy results released Friday by the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

Dyer was found about 5:45 a.m. on the second floor of a burning home in the 400 block of West 104th Street, authorities said. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Investigators have not determined its cause as of Friday morning, fire officials said.

A firefighter who fell through a hole in the floor and was treated at a hospital for “bumps and bruises,” authorities said.

No arrests have been made, Chicago police said Friday afternoon.