Autopsy shows 3 died of burns, smoke

Autopsy results revealing Christopher Jessop and his two children died of burns and smoke inhalation have left his family shocked and filled with grief.

"Christopher was a good family man, a loving father and the heartbeat and center of our family," said Jeremy Jessop, Christopher's brother, in a statement. "Our little angels, James and Mariah, blessed us greatly during the short time we had with them."

Authorities are still investigating the possible double-murder suicide that took place at a gas station in a remote area of Tooele County. "Our primary suspect was in the car," said Tooele County Sheriff Frank Park.

"This is just a really tragic time for the family," said Steve Ketter, the Jessop family's spokesman. "The only information that will come out will deepen the wound, it is just devastating."

Christopher Jessop, 30, a computer operator for Millor Engineering's testing support, had picked his children up from day care for a "genial" visit Wednesday while his wife, Mary, was ill. He ate dinner at his brother's home that evening and didn't exhibit what authorities believe was any strange behavior. Jessop did not have a long history of marital problems but had recently been separated from his wife.

What happened between the time Jessop was at his brother's and the fatal incident is still unclear, said Park.

Approximately $40 of gasoline had been purchased with a credit card at 1 a.m. from a gas station 11 miles north of Dugway Proving Ground, where Jessop worked. Authorities found evidence of the accelerant inside the car.

"It was an inferno in that car," said Park. "I am sure of it."

Early Thursday morning a northbound truck driver on state Route 196, returning from a landfill on the Skull Valley Goshute Indian Reservation, felt a "whoosh" and saw flames from an explosion as he passed the Pony Express gas station. He turned his truck around on the narrow two-lane road and saw a vehicle engulfed in flames. The unknown driver returned to the landfill where he knew there was a 2,000-gallon water tanker, said Park.

Garth Bear, who was working the night shift at the landfill, drove the tanker to the station where he spent 15-20 minutes dousing the flames. It wasn't until after he had extinguished the fire that he realized the vehicle had been occupied. Authorities arrived soon after.

Jessop was found in the back seat of his Jeep Compass, between his children, an arm around his 3-year-old daughter, Mariah, and his son, 4-year-old James, seated nearby, said Park.

No weapon was found among the charred remains, said Tooele County spokesman Wade Mathews in an interview Thursday. Results from tests to determine if any drugs or medicine were present in the victims' systems will not be available for 60 to 90 days.

"The family is grieving right now," Ketter said. "As things go, it doesn't seem to get better every day."

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