A La Plata County deputy found dead when firefighters entered his charred home had recently given the sheriff’s office information that sparked an investigation and led to him submitting his resignation three days before he died.

Jeremiah Lee, who became a deputy almost two years ago after serving 18 years on the Durango Police Department, was found dead after fire raged through his home Friday.

The cause of his death has not been released by the coroner, but the Durango Herald reports that he was found with a gunshot wound.

Lee provided information in the first week of October that led to an investigation, according to a sheriff’s department news release.

The sheriff’s office requested the assistance of the Colorado Bureau of Investigation to conduct an independent investigation.

On Oct. 10, with both investigations still underway, Lee submitted a letter of resignation, effective immediately.

On Thursday, Sheriff Sean Smith asked a Sheriff’s Office Crisis Intervention Team member to check on Lee’s welfare. “The team member made contact with Lee at 9:15 p.m., and reportedly, the conversation went well and the men made arrangements to meet for lunch in the near future,” the release said.

Shortly after midnight, firefighters responded to a report of a fire at Lee’s home in Bayfield, and found him unresponsive inside the home.

Since the CBI was already involved, Smith asked the agency to take the lead in the death investigation.

CBI spokeswoman Susan Medina said she had no immediate comment on the investigation.