Authorities have reclassified a deadly July house fire on the 3500 block of Kingsland Court as a homicide after determining that the two women found inside — 81-year-old Sherry LaRose and 66-year-old Elizabeth Pfaff — were murdered.
Investigators revealed new details linking the tragic blaze to another suspicious fire that occurred just one week earlier in Lemay, where one of the victims had narrowly escaped. Evidence now suggests the two incidents are connected, and police have identified a person of interest in the ongoing investigation.
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According to officials, surveillance footage captured Ryan LaRose, the grandson of one of the victims, leaving the residence shortly before the Kingsland Court fire erupted. Investigators also discovered four stove burners left on high and multiple points of origin, signs consistent with intentional arson.
Authorities believe Ryan LaRose may have been involved in setting the earlier Lemay fire as well. In that case, the elderly victim told police she had been living with her grandson and noticed smoke rising from the basement before escaping.
While no arrests have been made at this time, investigators are treating both fires as connected acts of deliberate violence. Police continue to gather evidence and interview witnesses as they work to bring justice to the victims and their families.
Anyone with information related to the fires is urged to contact local authorities.