Crash victim lived in home where three found dead - Fox 28: South Bend, Elkhart IN News, Weather, Sports

One of the two people killed in a crash on I-94 Thursday morning is related to three people found dead in a home in eastern Michigan.

Juan Nelson Jr, 45, of Portage, Ind. and Michael Vanderlinden, 38, of Belleville, Michigan died when their vehicles collided on I-94 in LaPorte County.  Police say it appears Vanderlinden left a highway rest area going eastbound in the westbound lanes and crashed head-on with the vehicle driven by Nelson around 1:30 a.m. Thursday.   A fire broke out and engulfed both vehicles.  The drivers were pronounced dead at the scene.

Police are continuing to investigate at the home, and are hoping some evidence may be in Vanderlinden's car and survived the fire. Police say they found a weapon in the home, but they didn't say what kind.

Those who saw the scene of the crash said it's unlike anything they've ever seen before.  Troy Powless has lived near I-94 for decades so he's used to the sounds of the interstate.   But Thursday morning he heard something that didn't sound like the usual tire blowing.
"I heard another little pop that reminded me more of a handgun shooting so I stepped out into the yard and that's when I noticed a glow over the top of the bridge," said Powless.  He then walked to a nearby overpass, looked over the side, and saw just how bad the fiery crash really was.  "Nobody was gonna make it out of that," said Powless.

And sadly no one did.  "It was a non-survivable accident.  I mean that seat belts would not have made a difference, air bags would not have made a difference," said LaPorte County Coroner, John Sullivan.  He added, "Probably the most violent accident I've seen in a long time out here on 94."
  
Now Van Buren Police, the LaPorte County Coroner and Indiana State Police are all working together to figure out exactly what happened.  And what Vanderlinden was doing hours away from his home.  Sullivan said, "They were checking to see if there was any surveillance cameras that might have seen that vehicle here."

Sullivan said Indiana State Police may search the wreckage from Vanderlinden's vehicle for clues.  While police in Michigan continue to search his home.  Police will be searching for suicide notes.  We've learned they had been called out to the Vanderlinden home for suicide attempts before.  But at this point the Coroner says his death is being ruled an accident until there is anything to prove otherwise.

FOX Chicago spoke with neighbors who say 45-year-old Juan Nelson was likely on his way home from work at U.S. Steel Corporation.  He was the innocent driver who was just driving down I-94 when he was hit head-on by Vanderlinden and killed.