A Pearl River County man was found dead inside a home that appeared to have been intentionally set ablaze.

Pearl River County Chief Deputy Shane Tucker said the incident occurred on Sept. 23, at a home located at 19 Sam Hall Road.

A deputy found the home with smoke coming from it while escorting a juvenile there to retrieve some belongings from within, Tucker said.

After forcing entry to the home, the deputy saw that the interior of the home was on fire, and that an accelerant had been poured throughout the interior.

Firefighters responded to extinguish the blaze, which took some time, Tucker said. 

A search of the home after the fire was extinguished found 41-year-old Richard Adam Holland in the bedroom, with a gun laying at his side.

Investigation into the incident determined that Holland had made previous threats to cause harm to himself, leading the detectives to suspect Holland had shot himself. Tucker said that an autopsy will be conducted to determine if he did shoot himself.

“His body was burned, so we could not find a gunshot wound,” Tucker said.

No one else was in the home at the time of the fire, which has been classified as arson.