DALTON, Georgia – On Saturday, January 10, 2026, at 5:47 a.m., the Dalton Fire Department responded to a house fire at 313 S. Grimes Street in Dalton.
While searching the structure, firefighters discovered the badly burned body of 35-year-old Crystal Scotten of Dalton inside the home. Because of the suspicious nature of the death, the Dalton Police Department, the Whitfield County Coroner’s Office, and the Georgia State Fire Marshal’s Office were called to assist. Police secured the scene and launched a criminal investigation.
Shortly after authorities arrived, a woman contacted police to report that her brother had told her he had killed his girlfriend at the Grimes Street residence. She requested a welfare check on the home. Investigators had already identified the man, 30-year-old Ryan Ebler of Martinsville, Indiana, as a person of interest. Scotten’s vehicle was missing from the scene and was entered into a national database as stolen…