Investigators say the suspect admitted stealing matches and igniting a couch with nail polish remover.
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — Police arrested a 54-year-old man after a woman was found dead inside a fire-damaged mobile home on the city’s southwest side, and investigators say he confessed to setting the blaze following an argument with her.
Authorities said the fire was already out when officers arrived, but the home showed heavy damage inside. The case quickly shifted from a fire investigation to a homicide and arson case after detectives reviewed witness accounts and a probable cause affidavit describing the suspect’s movements, admissions and evidence recovered near the scene.
Officers were dispatched just after 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 25, to the 2800 block of Landola Lane after a report of a person down and unresponsive, police said. Investigators said a roommate returned home from an overnight shift and found fire damage throughout the living room and the woman dead in a bedroom near a window. A container of charcoal lighter fluid was at the woman’s feet, police said.
A probable cause affidavit said the suspect told detectives he had argued with the woman, left the home and walked to a nearby Family Dollar store. Police said the man admitted stealing a box of matches there, then returned to the mobile home with the intent to set it on fire. When he could not find lighter fluid inside, investigators said he used nail polish remover to ignite the living room couch, then left as a smoke alarm began sounding.
Detectives later found a receipt tied to the stolen matches, police said. The box of matches was recovered from a nearby creek where the suspect said he had thrown it away. Investigators also said the suspect returned to the home after the fire was set, looked for the woman and claimed he did not find her, then left again. Police said he later discarded three cell phones into a nearby sewer; detectives recovered two of those phones.
Police located the suspect in a vehicle nearby, and officers noted his hands were visibly covered in black soot, according to investigators. He was taken into custody on preliminary charges of murder and arson resulting in serious bodily injury, police said. The Marion County Prosecutor’s Office will make the final charging decision, and additional charges are possible as the case is reviewed.
Investigators have not publicly released the woman’s name. Fire officials said the victim’s identity would be confirmed through the Marion County Coroner’s Office, which is responsible for determining the manner and cause of death. Police have described the home as a single-wide mobile home in a park near South Lynhurst Drive and Interstate 70.
The arrest also followed earlier police activity connected to the same address. A local report said investigators noted officers had been sent to the mobile home days earlier during a missing person investigation involving the suspect. Police have not released full details of that earlier call, including who reported the person missing and how the matter was resolved before the fire.
Residents in the area watched as investigators moved in and out of the park after the discovery, while the charred interior of the home remained out of view from the street. The case now hinges on forensic findings from inside the mobile home, the medical examiner’s conclusions and the formal charging decision that will outline what prosecutors believe happened in the hours leading up to the fire.
Police said the suspect was booked into the Marion County Jail while investigators continue to collect evidence and await the coroner’s findings. The next milestone is the prosecutor’s filing decision, which typically follows a review of the probable cause affidavit and early investigative reports.
Author note: Last updated February 27, 2026.