Cause not found for house fire that killed trooper, daughter

MONTICELLO, Ind. (AP) - The state Department of Homeland Security says the cause of a northern Indiana house fire that killed a state trooper and her daughte r has been ruled undetermined.

Trooper Stephanie Thompson and Mya Thompson died Feb. 17 after a fire fully engulfed their Monticello home.

The scene was examined by department investigators as well as investigators and engineers from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the agency said.

"Due to the house being a total loss no definitive origin and cause could be identified,'Å¥ the department told WRTV-TV in a statement Thursday.

Sgt. Thompson was a 23-year veteran of the State Police and the wife of White Circuit Judge Jason Thompson.

Monticello police and several fire departments responded to the fire about 2 a.m. Thursday and arrived to find the home fully engulfed in flames, State Police said.

The home is located near Lake Shafer in Monticello, about 30 miles (48.3 kilometers) north of Lafayette.

State police and the Indiana Fire Marshal's office are investigating the cause of the fire.