Ziay!

tribal1_20012001

I work for a towing and auto, semi, truck, etc. repair shop in Wisconsin. We towed in a 2000 Dodge Intrepid that has a 2.7L DOHC 24 Vavle enging that wounldn't run. The owner had been trying to start it for a few days and it had been sitting outside in about 10 degrees weather, when we got it into our shop, we first found out that it needed a new starter as the owner had burnt out the old one trying to start the car, we checked the sparkplugs and oil and found that the car had not been loaded up with extra fuel which happens alot in the cold winters up here, when one of the mechanics tryed to start the car, it turned over and sounded like it was out of time and then before he knew it the engine blow up and tore off both fronts of the timing chain/valve covers. My question is what could have caused this, I have never in my life seen anything like it, I would apprecate and help in this matter that I could get, thanks you.