Suspect arrested after 2018 fatal house fire in Canon City

CANON CITY, Colo. (KRDO) -- The Fremont County Sheriff's Office says a DNA match gave investigators a new lead to arrest a suspect in a fatal house fire that happened in 2018 in Canon City.

According to FCSO, 46-year-old Matthew Allan Rodgers is accused of a slew of charges for the death of 76-year-old Kenneth Orchard.

Orchard was found dead inside a home on Pinion Ave. on May 22, 2018. Investigators believed the fire was suspicious at the time, but little relevant information had been released.

One former Fremont County deputy, Christopher Pape, was found guilty of taking items from that crime scene and was sentenced to two years in prison.

We're working on getting more details about what led to Rodgers' arrest, but the sheriff's office said Thursday that a "DNA match" cracked open the case after two years.

Rodgers was arrested for: first-degree murder, first-degree arson, first-degree burglary, crimes against an at-risk adult, tampering with a deceased human body, and tampering with physical evidence.

Rodgers is being held in the Fremont County Detention Center without bond as of Thursday.