Arrest Made After Charred Remains Found In Car In Weston
FT LAUDERDALE (CBSMiami) - An arrest has been made in connection with charred human remains found in a burning car in a remote area of Weston earlier this month.
Hiram Gonzalez-Morales, 43, has been charged with murder.
On Monday, February 10th, a Broward Sheriff's fire rescue unit from Weston spotted smoke around 9:30 a.m. which led them to the burning car in a wooded area just south of S.W. 26th Street and about a mile east of U.S. 27.
They quickly extinguished the fire and decided to open the trunk to totally search the vehicle. At that point they found human remains inside the trunk. The remains wer completely charred and unrecognizable.
The gutted shell of the car with the body inside its trunk was removed from the crime scene on a flatbed truck and taken
to the Broward Medical Examiner's Office.
The remains were identified as that of an 18-year old Crestony Colin. The ME determined he died of a gunshot wound to the head.
Colin's friends told Broward Sheriff's investigators they last heard from him on February 9th when he was going to conduct a narcotics deal with a Hispanic man. Through the investigation, detectives identified that man as Gonzalez Morales.
Detectives served a search warrant at Gonzalez-Morales' home in Lake Worth on February 18th, and he voluntarily agreed to speak with investigators. During the interview Gonzalez-Morales said he knew Colin, but denied being involved in his death.
Morales had severe burns on both of his legs. He was placed under arrest and booked one count of first-degree murder.
Gonzalez-Morales has a criminal record, his most recent arrests in the last couple of years were in Palm Beach County. He's also a registered sex offender in New Hampshire.
