The victim of a fatal one-car crash and fire in Kosciusko County has now been identified.

Just before 5:30 am on December 4, emergency personnel were dispatched to a single vehicle collision on CR 500 E, approximately one-half mile north of CR 650 N.  A passerby located a vehicle with significant fire damage.

The preliminary results of the investigation, conducted by the KCSO Fatal Team, indicate that Makensie Thomas, 17, of Syracuse, was the sole occupant of a 2011 Chevrolet Cruze that was traveling northbound on CR 500 E prior to the impact.  The Cruze left the east side of CR 500 E and struck a tree, in the heavy fog conditions.

Due to the damage extent, nontraditional identification methods using DNA were subsequently used to identify Thomas as the crash victim.