1. The Homeowner Returns
- Around 2:30 p.m., a man arrived back at his house after spending the night away.
- Concerned about break-ins—because his house had been robbed multiple times—he checked the door, found it still locked, and entered.
2. Paranoid But Cautious
- The homeowner didn’t call the police about past break-ins because he was wanted for felony drug possession.
- So, he developed his own “security sweep” routine: check every room, lock, and window to make sure no one had broken in.
3. Everything Seemed Fine
- He found no broken windows, no forced entry, and nothing out of place, except some slightly disorganized mail.
- Thinking maybe he was just being paranoid, he relaxed, turned on the TV, and tried to settle in.
4. A Chilling Twist
- Feeling cold, he went to turn on the heat—specifically, he lit a fire in the fireplace.
5. The Scream
- Moments later, a terrifying high-pitched scream rang through the house.
- It wasn’t from inside the room—it was coming from inside the chimney.
6. The Truth
- Unbeknownst to the homeowner, while he was gone the night before, 19-year-old Cody Caldwell had tried to break into the house via the chimney.
- Cody got stuck halfway down and remained there, alive but silent, when the homeowner returned.
- When the fire was lit, Cody breathed in smoke, panicked, and sank further down into the narrow chimney, eventually catching on fire.
7. Horrific End
- Cody burned to death inside the chimney. His scream was the sound of him dying in agony.
- By the time the homeowner realized something was horribly wrong and put out the fire, it was too late.
- First responders confirmed that Cody had died from severe burns and smoke inhalation.
What This Incident Means
This tragedy is a mix of:
- Crime gone wrong (Cody was trying to rob the house),
- Vigilante-style caution (the homeowner avoided police involvement due to his own criminal background),
- And a brutal, accidental death caused by circumstances neither person could fully control once set in motion.