Woman died from smoke in Barrington-area fire

An autopsy confirmed Monday that the elderly woman found dead Saturday morning after fire gutted a Barrington-area house died of smoke inhalation.

Lake County Coroner Thomas Rudd said a DNA test is necessary for his office to positively identify the body as that of 81-year-old Carole Schnable, who lived in the house on the 21000 block of North 21st Street. Schnable's family members, however, have confirmed her death.

The DNA test results are expected Thursday, Rudd said.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the Barrington Countryside Fire Protection District, the state fire marshal and Lake County sheriff's police.

There's no evidence to suggest the manner of death will be anything other than accidental, Rudd said.

Schnable and her family moved into the house north of Northwest Highway and west of Route 59 in the early 1970s, neighbors said. Schnable's husband, Ken, who was her high school sweetheart, died nearly two years ago.

A neighbor called 911 about 1:15 a.m. Saturday to report a fire at the house. When Lake County sheriff's deputies arrived, they found the house engulfed in flames.

The body believed to be Schnable's was found in the remains of an upstairs bedroom.

Barrington Countryside Fire Protection District Fire Chief Jeff Swanson said there was no clear time frame for when investigation would be complete.