Renton Teen Found Dead in Home Following Suspicious Fire

Investigators are searching for a person of interest following the discovery of the body of a 17-year-old Lindbergh High School student in her Renton home Friday morning.

Investigators said the person of interest, 19-year-old Jarod T. Lane, was driving a green Mazda Protege possibly with black wheels and Washington state license plate number of 077 YRD. He is believed to be headed to Eastern Washington. 

Lane's mother checked his online bank account this morning and it appeard the man purchased gas in North Bend shortly after the fire. He is described as a caucasian with a "dark complection," with brown eyes and brown hair. He stands 5-feet-9-inches tall and weighs 152 pounds, according to his Washington state driver's license information.

Firefighters found the girl's body after receiving a 7:54 a.m. report of a fire at a home near the corner of Southeast 164th and 128th Avenue Southeast. Renton Fire and Emergency Services arrived four minutes after the call and extinguished the fire within 10 minutes. It was when firefighters searched the home that they found the girl's body alone.

Her parents have been notified, but her identity had not been released. 

The Renton School District notified parents at about 10:40 a.m. that a student had died before the start of school on Friday, said Lindbergh parent Kari Kopnick. The notice did not provide any further details.

A girl who identified herself as an 11th-grade Lindbergh student spoke with Patch late Friday morning. She attempted to go to her friend's home near the homicide scene but was turned away by police.

Students were told that the girl "died because of the fire," she said. "Everybody is crying. It's like silence."

"I knew her as a person, but not personally," she said of the victim.

Classes have remained on the normal schedule, according to the student.