VOLUSIA COUNTY, FLORIDA — The burned body of a man was found by a small fire in the woods near DeLand Saturday afternoon. The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office received a call at 3:34 p.m. Saturday afternoon about a fire in the woods to the east of the Budget Inn on East New York Avenue. A few minutes later, a witness at the scene reported finding the victim’s burnt body. The victim had apparently built a fire in the woods that scorched some trees and brush.
On Friday night, the Sheriff’s Office was called to the same area about a man who was sleeping on a bench by the motel and was refusing to leave. When deputies arrived, the complainant said the man could stay a little while longer but then would need to leave.
The victim has been identified as Malcolm Rule, age 52. Rule’s last known address was in Orange City, and he was the man who was encountered at the scene on Friday night. The Volusia County Medical Examiner’s Office is scheduled to conduct an autopsy on Monday.
