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Fatal fire victims potentially identified

Michigan State Police personnel say they are getting closer to naming the two people who died in a house fire last Friday night in Portage Township. Lieutenant Derrick Carroll says the condition of the bodies is too poor to get a conclusive ID via autopsy, which leaves some uncertainty.

The two bodies were taken for autopsy. The coroner was unable to positively identify both victims due to the severity of the fire. Right now they are looking at getting dental records, and if that doesn’t work they’re going to do DNA.

There is no timeframe for when other means of verifying identification will be complete.

The Valley Road home was engulfed in flames shortly after 9:00 PM on Friday, January 7th. The cause of the blaze has not been determined. MSP believes the victims are 32-year-old John Makela and 27-year-old Breanna Makela, a husband and wife who lived at the residence.

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