INDIANAPOLIS (AP) _ A coroner says a high school freshman whose badly burned body was found in an Indianapolis backyard Sunday died of asphyxiation.
Marion County Chief Deputy Coroner Alfarena Ballew on Tuesday ruled the death of 15-year-old Dominique Allen a homicide. Authorities have said they believe the Ben Davis High School student was killed elsewhere, and police on Tuesday discovered the teen's purse and shoes about a block from where her body was found.
Indianapolis police say a man walking his dog found the teen's body in his backyard on the city's near northwest side.
Wayne Township school officials brought in counselors at the Ben Davis Ninth Grade Center to help students cope with Allen's death.
