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Death Of Man At Wilton Manors Apartment Fire Deemed 'Suspicious'

WILTON MANORS (CBSMiami)- When Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue was called to a burning Wilton Manors apartment on Thursday night, they quickly put out the flames.

But they made a gruesome discovery inside.

"[Firefighters] located an adult male," said Battalion Chief Stephen Gollan. "Pulled him outside the building where they determined he was deceased."

Firefighters contacted the Broward County Sheriff's Office, which investigates deaths in the city and detectives determined the death was suspicious. On Friday, BSO said the man who died is John Young, known to his family as Craig. His mother, Barbara, told us Craig was loved.

"I hope [people] remember Craig as a kind, loving young man who enjoyed talking with people, walking his dogs, loved his dogs," Barbara said.

She said her son had some troubles recently. She said someone broke into his apartment and stole his cell phone.

She said that a few months back Young was beaten up pretty badly. She feared even more harm might come to her child.

"It didn't shock me when [detectives] put two and two together and saw things looked a little bit suspicious," she said.

As cleanup crews worked on the apartment Friday and painted over plywood where the windows used to be, BSO said homicide detectives are awaiting a ruling from the Medical Examiner's Office on how Young died.

Neighbor Michael Mayberry said on Thursday he saw Young walking his dogs like always.

"We saw him in the morning, walking his dogs," said Mayberry. "He seemed perfectly normal. Perfectly happy."

But by nightfall as smoke poured from the apartment, Mayberry and others wondered what happened inside.

"We're wondering as the other neighbors are, was he knocked out or was he injured and unable to leave the apartment when the fire started?" Mayberry said.

Young's mother is desperate for answers about her son's death.

She's also concerned about who will care for his two dogs.

Anyone with information on this case is asked to call Broward Crimestoppers at 954-493-TIPS.

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