Meth Explosion Suspected In Deadly Fire

Neighbors heard an explosion from a mobile home and emergency crews found a man's body inside, along with a likely culprit. The death of Walter Alan Meeks in Grundy County last Saturday is under investigation and considered suspicious.

   This investigation from Plain View Lane in Tracy City comes with some twists. Grundy County invesitgators suspect a meth explosion led to Weeks' death. Late this afternoon, our investigative team discovered the 49 year old Weeks got out of prison one year and two weeks ago.

    Investigators say some deadly suspicious things happened inside the home leading up to the discovery of Walter Alan Meeks' body, after an explosion. Judy Nunley lives across the street and vividly recalls what she saw Saturday morning around 8:45, "It was almost fully engulfed when I saw it," Nunley said.

    She grew up with Meeks and knows several things point to a meth lab inside the home. That is also true from the Grundy County Sheriff's Department. Sheriff Brent Myers said, "To me, that's what it looks like to me, but I can't say that for sure."

   But Sheriff Myers says his investigators pulled out about 40 different items used to make methamphetamine. Several neighbors heard an explosion and at least one told detectives of hearing two.

     Understand, the 49 year old Meeks didn't live in the mobile home, but the dangerous process of making meth is in the center of his death investigation. They found his body behind a partial wall to the right side of the mobile home.

   Not only has the death of her friend affected Nunley, but she has also seen the damage meth has done to many communities in Grundy County. Nunley said, "It makes you worry, you know. You worry about what's going on."

   Sheriff Myers says investigators are making progress, "We do have some leads and we do know that there were some more people that were there."

   Neighbors told investigators they saw a car speed away out of this driveway right after the fire. It has been described as a tan 80's model Lincoln that left in a hurry. Investigators are searching for any information that may lead back to the people inside that car. If you noticed anything unusual in the area of Plain View Lane or Highway 56 just before 9:00 a.m. central standard time, contact the Grundy Sheriff's department. Sheriff Myers explained the pieces of this puzzle are coming together, "We've interviewed some people that have direct knowledge about certain things that happened."

    Daniel Deal rented this mobile home and we discovered another interesting detail.A next door neighbor told us he spoke with Deal right after the fire. He says Deal was outside, trying to put the fire out with a hose and was very distraught. But the neighbor says Deal did not indicate there was anyone else inside, only his cat.

    This death and suspected meth explosion hits close to home for Nunley for one other reason, her two year old granddaughter Abbie. "You worry about what's going on and what your kids are exposed to," Nunley said.

  Investigators are waiting on test results to determine exact cause of death and the fire.