Late Tuesday evening, a tragedy unfolded deep in the wooded embankment along Ellard Road in Fultondale, Alabama—an 85-year-old longtime resident, Major Issac Epting, was found deceased beside a vehicle ablaze. Firefighters responding to a brush fire around 8 p.m. were the first on scene and made the grim discovery near the 900 block of the road.
Officials confirmed Wednesday that the body was indeed that of Major Epting. The Jefferson County Coroner’s Office performed an autopsy shortly afterwards, though at last check they had not yet determined a definitive cause of death or exactly how the fire began.
What investigators do know is that dispatchers had received a crash alert from Epting’s iPhone at approximately the same time the fire was reported—information that helped first responders zero in on the location.
Preliminary evidence suggests Epting’s vehicle left the roadway, sliding into a shallow ravine before coming to rest. There’s no indication the car flipped. Authorities are weighing the possibility that the driver may have endured a sudden medical emergency that caused him to lose control.
While the fire was contained before spreading further into the dense area, it remains unclear how and when exactly the flames ignited after the vehicle came to rest. No signs of foul play have been observed so far.
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office Accident Reconstruction Team is leading the deeper investigation—its work includes forensic analysis of vehicle data, physical evidence, and a close review of the iPhone crash alert data to reconstruct the critical final moments.
Neighbors and community members have expressed shock and sorrow, recounting Epting as a gentle, familiar presence in the area. Authorities are appealing to anyone who may have seen anything unusual along Ellard Road around 8 p.m. Tuesday to contact the Fultondale Police Department. Further updates will follow once full toxicology and coroner’s findings are available.