Help sought in Sedalia arson fire where body was found

Investigators are asking the public for help investigating an arson fire at a Sedalia home where a body was found.

53-year-old Daniel Smith was found inside the home after the fire was extinguished in December. The Springfield Police Department and the Missouri Fire Marshal’s Office have determined the fire was intentionally set.

A reward up to $5,000 from the Missouri Advisory Committee on Arson Prevention may be offered for information that leads to an arrest.

An autopsy of the victim was conducted two days after the fire occurred. But Pettis County Coroner Skip Smith says he is “waiting on some crucial pieces to come back” before he makes a ruling on Daniel Smith’s cause of death.