A morning barn fire just south of Riverdale may be tied to an underground marijuana grow and a murder, according to the Kings County Sheriff's Office.

Investigators announced Thursday that they've found the remains of what appears to be a human body in the ruins of the small makeshift barn, positioned behind a residence on 24 1-2 Avenue.

Firefighters were called out to the property near the Fresno-Kings county line at 9 a.m. on Wednesday. As they arrived, they saw a young man hauling large marijuana plants out of the burning building, Sheriff's Cmdr. Robert Thayer said.

The man, identified as 28-year-old Nathaniel Caetano, was detained at the scene. He was later booked into custody on suspicion of murder, arson, possession of narcotics and numerous probation violations.

When initially questioned, Caetano told authorities that he was cooking a goat in a fire pit within the barn. Inside, they found a dug-out section of ground, roughly 5 feet by 5 feet square and 3 feet deep. "Bone and tissue" fragments were all that remained of the body, Thayer said, but it was enough for medical examiners to determine they did not originate from an animal.

Thayer said it is not clear if the hole was made to burn the remains, or if it was intended as part of the marijuana grow. An estimated 16 plants were recovered from the scene.

In another twist, family members of the suspect say that his father, 49-year-old Leonard Caetano, has gone missing.

"Mr. Caetano recently underwent surgery and is now walking on crutches," Thayer said. "It's highly unlikely that he walked away from his home here. His car is still in the driveway, his wallet is still inside. There's some concern that the remains may belong to him."

The matter is being jointly investigated with the Kings County Fire Department. Fire Marshal Mike Virden is trying to determine how the fire spread from the pit. He could not immediately be reached for contact on Thursday.

"Once we received word that the remains appeared to be human, we locked the property down and declared it a crime scene," Thayer said. "Now we are sifting through the evidence very slowly and methodically. We're not even sure if the whole body is intact."

Caetano is being held at the Kings County Jail on a no-bail hold. He is not a stranger to the facility; Thayer said he has been booked there 16 times since 2000.

The reporter can be reached at 583-2425.

(Nov. 20, 2009)