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Her is an article quoting homicide detective. Turton, a mother of three small children, was the wife of Daniel A. Turton, 43, the White House’s deputy director of legislative affairs for the House of Representatives. He is President Obama’s point man on legislation moving through that body.

Investigators on Monday were trying to determine what happened a few hours before dawn at the couple’s two-story brick home in the 800 block of A Street SE.

Police said in a statement that the 2008 BMW X5 “crashed into the interior of the garage,” which faces Eighth Street. “After the impact, a fire started and quickly engulfed the entire garage as well as the automobile,” the statement said.

One source familiar with the incident said “there didn’t appear to be any major trauma” to Turton’s body. Another official, Capt. Michael Farish of the D.C. police homicide unit, said, “We have no evidence of any obvious malfeasance in her death at this time.”

Authorities said Turton’s death might have resulted from the low-speed crash, an unknown medical situation preceding it, the fire, or some combination of the three. Her body was taken to the D.C. medical examiner’s office for an autopsy.

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Pete Piringer, a D.C. fire department spokesman, said neighbors called for help about 4:50 a.m. after they saw smoke and flames. The SUV was pointing into the garage at a crooked angle with its back end slightly outside.

Authorities said an autopsy might determine whether the incident occurred after Turton suffered “a medical event,” one official said.

Emphasizing that investigators had not determined the facts, the official said Turton might have lost control of the SUV, resulting in a low-speed crash that could have ignited flammable substances stored in the garage.

Neighbors described hearing a crash followed by several popping sounds. They said the fire burned quickly. Julie Domenick, who lives two doors away from the Turton home, said she called 911 after her barking dog alerted her to the fire.