Two bodies, burned beyond recognition in a house fire Monday, were
identified Tuesday through autopsy and dental records, Concord Police Chief
George Smith said.

Smith identified the victims as William Taylor Laughlin Jr., 30, and Sheila Sehorn Mullis, 32, both of Concord.

He also said a preliminary report from the N.C. Chief Medical Examiners`
Office in Chapel Hill, where the autopsies were performed, indicated smoke
inhalation as a possible cause of death, but that was not conclusive Tuesday.

Mitchell Watson, owner of the house at 236 Central Dr., managed to escape
the flames with apparently minor injury to his right eye. The victims, friends of Watson, were staying overnight with him at the time.

Tuesday, investigators from the State Bureau of Investigation`s Arson Task
Force, the Concord Police Department and the Concord Fire Department were
still trying to determine what ignited the fire.

When firefighters arrived, minutes before 3 a.m. Monday, flames already had engulfed Watson`s 1-1/2-story frame house. Damages to the structure and
contents were estimated at about $90,000.

Services for Sheila Sehorn Mullis will be at 4 p.m. Thursday at Wilkinson
Funeral Home in Concord.

Her survivors include a son, Dustin Mullis; a daughter, Melissa Sehorn; her parents, Gene and Betty Sehorn; a brother, Dale Sehorn; a sister, Lisa Sehorn; and grandparents, George Lambert of Harrisburg and Iva Sehorn.

A funeral for William Taylor Laughlin will be at 8 p.m. tonight at
Wilkinson Funeral Home.

An insulation company employee, he is survived by his parents, William and
Mary Laughlin; two sisters, Tina Henry and Wanda Dover; and grandparents Jack and Lula Laughlin.

Memorials to William Laughlin may be made to Second Presbyterian Church`s
memorial fund, 231 Franklin Ave., Concord, N.C. 28025.