Yuba City man faces arson charges after his aunt's remains found set on fire
Yuba City police on Tuesday said a man is facing arson charges after a body was found on fire near Smartsville.
He was identified by police as 50-year-old Vincent Dorell Ciulei, and the human remains were identified as Ciulei's 82-year-old aunt, Constance Laurel. Laurel was a Yuba City resident, and Ciulei is also from Yuba City, police said.
On Dec. 18, Yuba County Sheriff's Office deputies went to the area of Parks Bar Road for a report of a fire, around 6 a.m.
Fire crews were already at the scene when deputies arrived, and as they extinguished the flames, deputies noticed it was a body that had been set on fire, police said.
A suspicious death investigation was launched involving Yuba City police, the sheriff's office, Cal Fire, and the Yuba and Sutter counties district attorneys' offices.
Ciulei was eventually identified as a suspect, and police said he was arrested and charged with arson. Laurel's death is still considered suspicious and remains under investigation.
Anyone with information is asked to call police at 530-822-4661.