Koresh Brother-in-Law Is First Cult Victim Identified From Fire

Cult leader David Koresh’s brother-in-law, David Jones, was the first victim identified from the fire that devastated the religious group’s compound last week, authorities said Sunday.

Jones, 38, was killed by a gunshot to the right side of his face, said David Pareya, a McLennan County justice of the peace.

Court records had earlier identified Jones as the one who notified Koresh that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms was preparing to raid the site. Jones was the brother of Koresh’s wife, Rachel Jones. She, her three children, and her father also were believed to be among the victims of the fire.

“Yes, I already know. I have no comment,” said Mary Jones, the victim’s mother.

Investigators said they determined it was Jones by matching fingerprints and dental records.

Pareya could not detail the caliber of the bullet or the angle it entered. He said the corpse was found atop a cinder-block structure where Koresh stashed much of his ammunition.

Investigators expect Jones’ identity to be the first of many. They said Sunday they are confident that they will match names with 43 other corpses.

On Saturday, lead medical examiner Dr. Nizam Peerwani told reporters that gunshots killed two people--an adult male and an adult female--and that three others died of smoke inhalation and carbon monoxide poisoning. He said further tests were needed before the final determinations could be made on a sixth victim.

Four more bodies have been located and are expected to be sent to medical examiners Monday. As many as 86 people, including Koresh and 17 children, were believed to have died in the fire April 19. They had been holed up after a Feb. 28 shootout that killed four federal agents and wounded 19.

At the site Sunday, investigators continued recovering evidence and removing debris. Workers face health and safety concerns including exploding food cans, insects and ammunition stockpiles. Insecticide was used to clear flies in one particularly bad area.

And at the first Sunday church services since the end of the cult’s 51-day standoff, Waco ministers devoted parts of their sermons to the incident.