SOUTH PORTLAND – The woman found dead in her South Portland apartment on Monday, Sept. 28, was Alyssa Jensen, 24, formerly from Fayette, according to Stephen McCausland, spokesman for the Maine Department of Public Safety.

Authorities discovered Jensen’s body after they were called to a minor kitchen fire in another apartment in the building at 81 Ocean St. where Jensen lived. They found her body while searching to make sure all residents had evacuated the building.

However, McCausland said that Maine State Police do not believe the fire in the building and Jensen’s death are related. “It’s a bizarre coincidence that her body was found as the result of the fire,” he said.

As of the Current’s deadline, police said they do not yet know the cause of her death but said that nothing indicates it is suspicious.

McCausland said the fire was caused by someone placing clothing deliberately on top of the stove. The state Fire Marshal’s Office, which has been investigating the fire, has a suspect in the case, McCausland said. However, he said, authorities are consulting with the Cumberland County District Attorney to see what the next step should be.

The three-story building in the Knightville neighborhood is a group home run by Volunteers of America Northern New England, a nonprofit social service agency. The home has four independent-living units for residents coping with such problems as mental illness and substance abuse.

An autopsy on Jensen’s body was performed Tuesday, Sept. 29, and McCausland said the state Medical Examiner’s Office ordered additional tests before determining how Jensen died.

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