A body found in a burning boat Friday night parked near Washoe Lake is believed to be that of a convicted sex offender questioned by Carson City investigators last week in the molestation of a neighbor girl.
A 6-year-old girl in East Carson City told her mother that James Floyd Raines, 70, had fondled her on several occasions at his Bel Aire Way home, according to Detective Dena Lacy. Lacy said she initially spoke with Raines at his house Wednesday, and then Raines went to the Sheriff's Office for a formal interview on Thursday.
"He made some admissions," said Lacy.
After the interview, Raines was permitted to leave, she said. Lacy said he had told her during the interview that he would not go back to prison.
On Friday night, Washoe County officers responded to a report about 10 p.m. of a boat on fire parked near Washoe Lake. Once the fire was contained, she said, police found a charred body inside. The fire appeared to have been intentionally set, she said.
Raines was convicted of lewdness with a child in 1989 in Henderson and served four years in prison, she said. Raines is a Tier 1 offender and not subject to community notification.
Positive identification of the body is pending a dental comparison.
Anyone with information can contact Lacy at 887-2020 ext. 41400.
