The death of a reporter for a Faquier County newspaper who died in a house fire has been ruled a homicide. Sarah L. Greenhalgh, a reporter for The Winchester Star, was found dead Monday after firefighters responded to a scene at her house on a farm off of U.S. Route 50 in Upperville, Va.

Greenhalgh, 48, had been at the Star for about a year and covered local government in Frederick County. She was also a horse enthusiast who wrote frequently about equestrian events, WUSA reported.

The blaze at Greenhalgh’s house was first spotted at 8 a.m. Monday, the Faquier County Sheriff’s Department said. Greenhalgh’s body was taken to the office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Manassas for an autopsy, the results of which were announced earlier today. The Star reported that Greenhalgh’s death has been ruled a homicide. (Though the article is available only to subscribers.)

A Faquier County deputy told WUSA last night that there there are several persons of interest in the case, some of whom have already been interviewed.

Greenhalgh, the Post reported, was at work last Friday and attended a wedding on Saturday, but did not show up to work on Monday.

Maria Hileman, Greenhalgh’s editor at the Star, described her as a solid asset to the newsroom. “She’s a loss to the journalism world,” Hileman told the Post. “She was a very tenacious and good reporter.”