STATE OF VERMONT
DEPARTMENT OF
PUBLIC SAFETY
VERMONT STATE
POLICE
CASE#: 26A1002734
RANK/TROOPER FULL
NAME: Detective Sgt. James Wright, Detective Sgt. Michael Mattuchio
STATION: VSP
Williston Barracks
CONTACT#: 802-878-7111
DATE/TIME: About 6:20 p.m. Sunday, April 12, 2026
INCIDENT LOCATION: 245
Lyman Meadow, Hinesburg, VT
INCIDENT TYPE:
Fatal fire
VICTIM: Brenda Garey
AGE: 65
CITY, STATE OF
RESIDENCE: Hinesburg, VT
SUMMARY OF
INCIDENT:
On Tuesday, April
14, 2026, the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office in Burlington informed the
Vermont State Police they have completed the autopsy on the woman found
deceased following a fire in her apartment on Sunday evening.
The woman is
identified as 65-year-old Brenda Garey. The medical examiner determined that
Garey died of natural causes prior to the fire.
The investigation
into the origin and cause of the fire is ongoing but is not believed to be
suspicious. No additional details are currently available.
***Initial news release, 8:30 p.m. Sunday, April 12, 2026***
The Vermont State
Police is investigating after a woman was found dead following a fire in her Hinesburg
apartment Sunday evening, April 12, 2026.
Emergency crews
responded at about 6:20 p.m. after a neighbor reported smoke coming from one of
the units in the apartment complex at 245 Lyman Meadow. First responders
encountered moderate fire and smoke conditions, and after containing the blaze
discovered a single victim inside the residence.
Initial
investigation indicates this incident is not suspicious. The state police will
hold the scene overnight, and Monday morning an investigator from the Department
of Public Safety Fire and Explosion Investigation Unit will respond to
investigate the origin and cause of the fire, and a detective from the Bureau
of Criminal Investigations will conduct a death investigation. The victim’s
body will be brought to the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office in Burlington for
an autopsy to determine the cause and manner of death. The victim’s name is
being withheld pending further investigation and notification of relatives.
Responding agencies
included Hinesburg Fire & Rescue, Charlotte Fire & Rescue, Shelburne
Fire & Rescue, Williston Fire & Rescue, and fire departments from Huntington,
Monkton and Starksboro.
No additional
information is available at this time. The state police will provide updates as
the investigation continues.
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