The St. Joseph County Metro Homicide Unit is investigating the death of an elderly woman who was pulled from a house that caught fire in South Bend.

Crews responded to the blaze in the 900 block of Stanfield early Friday morning, March 1.

Phyllis Swihart, 88, was given CPR and taken to the hospital where she was pronounced dead.

Due to multiple inquiries, Metro Homicide was called to assist the South Bend Fire Department in its investigation into the fire.

Metro Homicide investigators attended Swihart’s autopsy, which took place on Saturday.

A forensic pathologist determined Swihart’s cause of death to be thermal injuries and soot inhalation. There appeared to be no outward trauma unrelated to the fire itself. However, the manner of death is pending toxicology results.

The investigation into the cause of the fire was still underway on Saturday.