Human remains found in area of November fire in Clinton have been identified

CLINTON, Iowa – The family has confirmed the human remains found in December, in the area of a November fire in Clinton, have been positively identified.

According to police, on Dec. 31, officers received information of possible remains in a wooded area near the railroad tracks in Clinton that had a previous fire.

On Feb. 5, the father confirmed to me DNA pulled from the remains was a match for his son Cody French, who was 37-years-old.

Investigators also confirmed to me the DNA is a match for Cody French.

The fire.

On Nov. 17, at around 4 a.m., the Clinton Fire Department responded to the area of 12th Avenue South and Liberty Avenue for an outdoor fire within a pile of old railroad ties.

***^{Photo of burned pile Nov. 17 (Clinton Fire Dept.)}***

According to the incident report we obtained, an initial investigation found the fire was contained to a pile of used railroad ties next to a homeless camp.

Officials noted there was no obvious heat source nearby and people from the nearby homeless camp ‘denied hearing or seeing anything suspicious.’

The witnesses also denied having any knowledge of how the fire may have started.

The cause of the fire was formally listed as Undetermined, according to the report.

Cody French

According to his obituary, Cody *‘grew up with the kind of small-town life that shaped him—time on the court playing basketball, days outdoors hunting and fishing, and pride in being part of the West Carroll FFA.’*

‘*Cody was sharp and quick-minded, and he excelled on the quiz bowl team. He had a way of seeing things others missed.*‘

‘Cody loved art. He was truly gifted—especially drawn to realism and the challenge of capturing life as it really is. His art reflected who he was at his best: thoughtful, observant, and deeply creative. Cody also loved animals and could lose himself in reading for hours.‘

*‘In his teenage years, Cody began experimenting with drugs, and over time addiction became the battle that defined far too much of his story.’*

*‘After graduating high school in 2006, Cody enlisted in the United States Army and completed basic training—something his family will always remember with pride.’*

*‘But addiction does not fight fair, and despite many attempts, many hopes, and many promises that everyone wanted to believe, it pulled him away from stability and eventually into homelessness.’*

‘*For a time, Cody lived on the streets of Clinton*,’ but that, ‘Even there, he was not alone—he had a circle of friends in the homeless community who cared about him and looked out for him. His family never stopped pulling for him. They never stopped hoping. And they never stopped loving him.‘

‘Cody’s death is a tragedy, and it is also a painful reminder of how brutal addiction can be—especially for those who feel trapped inside it. Cody was not a bad person. He was a person who got caught in a bad situation with a powerful demon he could not outrun.’

‘Cody was loved. Cody mattered. And Cody’s story includes more than his worst chapters. His family chooses to remember the boy who loved the outdoors, the young man who could light up with a pencil in his hand, the soldier who finished basic training, and the human being who—beneath the struggle—still had goodness in him.’

Click here to read the full obituary.

What comes next?

Although Cody has been identified, a full autopsy to determine the cause of his death may take months to complete.

Clinton Police told me the investigation into Cody’s death, and the circumstances surrounding his death, is ongoing.

No further details are available.

SHARE THIS STORY IN YOUR COMMUNITY

Independent journalism depends on your support to keep shining light on the truth.