CARY, N.C. (WNCN) - The remains of 34-year-old Cecily Anne Walker were found partially burned in a fire pit in Cary on March 19. A 911 caller who reported the fire told dispatchers the flames were visible above a five-foot-tall fence. At the time, Walker's death was ruled a homicide.
A new report from the state medical examiner says the Cary Fire Department spoke with the homeowner, Ian Delauder, when they arrived at the scene. The report said he was standing at the edge of the fire pit. It was then that they noticed human remains in the fire.
According to the report, Delauder ran into a camper trailer in the driveway of the property, briefly spoke with his live-in girlfriend, then shot himself.
The report said Walker was found inside a partially burned plastic garbage bin. She was found with a rope around her waist.
An autopsy showed Walker had a gunshot wound to the head. It also showed she was in her first trimester of pregnancy.
The toxicology report detected cocaine, fentanyl, methamphetamine and methadone in Walker's system.
The medical examiner found no soot in her airway, showing she was more than likely killed before being burned.
The state medical examiner says fire investigators confirmed the use of an accelerant in the fire. A gasoline tank was found on the bumper of the camper trailer.
Delauder, the suspect in Walker's death, died from the gunshot wound, Cary police said.
Since 2018, Cary officers had been called to Delauder’s house on Dorset Drive 21 times. In 2022, there were several calls for drugs, suspicious activity, and welfare checks. In February 2023, officers responded to a car fire there.
Neighbors told CBS 17 that Delauder kept to himself. They explained that he had been renovating his home extensively until about nine months ago. Then, they described a change in behavior.
In August 2022, Delauder was arrested in Raleigh for felony larceny and possession of cocaine. In February 2023, Cary police arrested him on various drug charges.
Cary police said Delauder's live-in girlfriend was not harmed. It remains unclear how Walker knew Delauder.