Inset: Braydon Blake. Background: Home in the 3800 block of East Anderson Road near Bloomington, Indiana, that Blake allegedly set on fire (WXIN).
In Indiana, authorities have apprehended a man accused of setting a fire that tragically claimed the lives of his 74-year-old grandmother, her live-in caregiver, and another woman who was bedridden with cerebral palsy.
Braydon Blake faces charges of murder and arson. The incident was reported by the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office after multiple 911 calls were made shortly after 2:30 a.m. on January 18. The calls described a fire trapping residents inside a home on the 3800 block of East Anderson Road near Bloomington. Upon arrival, fire crews found the house ablaze and a vehicle crashed into the garage.
Deputies discovered an 18-year-old woman who managed to escape the inferno, albeit with severe burns. Another individual also evacuated the property. Both were taken to the hospital, but tragically, one succumbed to injuries weeks later, as reported by the Bloomington Herald-Times. The deceased was identified as 53-year-old Paula Anderson. Firefighters found two additional victims inside: 74-year-old Mary Blake and 33-year-old Kristine Rowan, who was Anderson’s daughter.
Approximately an hour following the incident, police discovered Braydon Blake, identified by witnesses as the suspected arsonist, hiding in a wooded area on the property. He too suffered severe burns and was hospitalized.
According to a statement by Fox affiliate WXIN anchor Angela Ganote, Monroe County deputies monitored Blake at Eskenazi Hospital for about a month until their watch ended. The hospital was supposed to notify deputies upon his discharge. However, Blake was released on April 1 without any notification, as reported by the sheriff’s office.
Authorities learned of Blake’s release on Thursday. With assistance from the Indiana State Police and U.S. Marshals, deputies located and arrested Blake in Avon on Friday.
WXIN reported that Rowan, Anderson’s daughter, was bedridden. Mary Blake was suffering from cancer. The outlet also reported that the motive for the fire may have been a rape allegation against the defendant.
Blake remains in the Monroe County Jail without bond.
According to a GoFundMe account description by Anderson’s sister, Rowan suffered from cerebral palsy. Her 18-year-old sister also suffered serious burns in the fire.
“The fire, set by a member of the older woman’s family, took the lives of his own grandmother and my 33-year-old niece Kristine, who had lived with cerebral palsy and was bedridden,” Lindsey Pesonen wrote. “In a matter of moments, we lost our family member, and everything they owned was reduced to ashes.”
