CHARLOTTE AMALIE — Police and fire officials are investigating after a woman’s body was found in a burning structure in Bonne Esperance on St. Thomas on Wednesday night, authorities said.
A’zhanique Jonelle Hodge, 21, was positively identified by a family member as the deceased, the Virgin Islands Police Department said.
First responders were notified by 911 dispatchers 7:45 p.m. Wednesday of an active structural fire in Bonne Esperance on St. Thomas, according to the VIPD.
When firefighters from the Virgin Islands Fire Service began extinguishing the fire, they discovered the burned body of a female inside the residence, police said.
Units from the Virgin Islands Police Department were immediately dispatched to Bonne Esperance to investigate the matter, according to police.
Emergency Medical Technicians were also on the scene and concluded that Hodge did not have any signs of life.
The cause of death is unknown at this time pending the results of an autopsy, VIPD spokeswoman Sakeeda Freeman said.
On January 3, 2025, at about 1:32 p.m. the next of kin identified the deceased female as twenty-one-year-old A’zhanique Jonelle Hodge, according to Freeman.
This case is currently being investigated by the Major Crimes Unit of the VIPD alongside the VIFEMS Arson Investigation and Prevention Unit.
Anyone having any information please contact the Virgin Islands Police Department at 340-774-2211 or the Criminal Investigation Unit’s Major Crimes Division at 340-714-9823 or 340-714-9829. You can also contact Crime Stoppers USVI at 1-800-222-8477.
