Authorities have ruled out a crash as the cause of a Bethesda minivan fire last week in which a 45-year-old man was found dead, but they are still looking for clues as to what caused the mysterious blaze.
The body of Ebrima Sarr, who was known as E-Bru, was found just before 4 a.m. July 27 in the driver’s seat of a gold Kia minivan on the 5000 block of Bradley Boulevard at Arlington Road.
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The minivan was ablaze, its rear wheels up on the median strip of the eastbound lanes.
Montgomery County detectives haven’t called the death a homicide. They are still awaiting an autopsy to determine what killed the Takoma Park man.
But investigators said the fire started in the front passenger area, rather than the engine of the minivan, making it unlikely that a crash caused the fire.
Now they are also trying to determine Sarr’s whereabouts early that day.
He worked at the Glen Echo Exxon on Goldsboro Road in Glen Echo, Md., and left at 8:30 p.m.
He was then supposed to work at an Exxon station at 3403 Holly Road in Annandale from 10 p.m. until 6 a.m. However, police said, he left the Annandale station earlier than planned, taking off at 2:18 a.m.
Investigators are asking for help from anyone who may have seen Sarr or the minivan in that time period.
Tipsters, who may remain anonymous, should call the Montgomery County police’s Major Crimes Division at 240-773-5070.
