What firefighters initially responded to as a routine garage fire in north Peoria Wednesday morning has been officially ruled a homicide after an autopsy revealed a 68-year-old man was brutally killed before the blaze was set.
Peoria Fire crews were called to the 1200 block of NE Perry Avenue just after 8:15 a.m. on November 27 for heavy smoke pouring from a detached garage behind a single-family home. Once the flames were knocked down, responders made the grim discovery of Jimmy L. Steele lying dead inside the charred structure.
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Peoria County Coroner Jamie Harwood said an autopsy performed Thursday showed Steele died from strangulation combined with multiple blunt-force trauma and sharp-force injuries. Officials stressed that Steele was already deceased when the fire was ignited, indicating an apparent attempt to destroy evidence.
“Mr. Steele suffered a violent death,” Harwood said in a statement. “The fire was set after the homicide occurred.”
Neighbors described the normally quiet block as “peaceful” and said they were stunned to learn the fire was intentional. One resident who asked not to be identified told reporters she heard a loud bang around 3 a.m. but thought it was fireworks left over from earlier in the week.
Detectives with the Peoria Police Department’s Criminal Investigations Division, along with fire investigators and the coroner’s office, spent much of Wednesday and Thursday processing the scene. Police have not disclosed a motive, identified any suspects, or said whether the residence appeared targeted.
Steele’s family has asked for privacy as they grieve. Friends described him as a friendly retiree who enjoyed tinkering with old cars and often waved to neighbors while working in his garage.
Anyone with information—including possible surveillance footage from the area—is urged to call Peoria Police at (309) 494-9000 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at (309) 673-9000.
The investigation remains active and ongoing.