Mar 11, 2007 10:11 pm US/Central
Woman Being Questioned In Fatal Wrigleyville Fire
Woman May Be Mentally Ill
by Katie McCall
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
Police have a person of interest in connection with the fire that killed four people in Wrigleyville Saturday morning.
CBS 2's Katie McCall reports the woman in custody was seen at the deadly fire and three smaller ones.
Several neighbors reported seeing the woman. Police say tips from the public led to her capture Sunday.
Family and friends of 24-year-olds Jennifer Carlson and Jason Bowers gathered to grieve in front of the boarded up apartment where four people died Saturday.
There were prayers for the dead and for the living, including a woman who police are now questioning who they believe may have set the fire.
Friends say Carlson and Bowers were good people. Both had jobs at nearby restaurants and were working toward college degrees.
"Most people say that people are good guys when they die, and sometimes they really aren't. He was truly a good person, never really did anything wrong," said Justin Sewell, a friend of the victims.
"She was working two jobs, going to college, trying to get herself together," added friend Sachin Patel.
There was just a moment of laughter as Carlson's mother recalled her daughter's taste in music -- she liked hard rock.
Police say the woman in custody may have set three smaller fires late Friday evening at a nearby building. Neighbors say they saw her and called 911.
"This woman was out tending to a smoldering pile of sweaters and some newspapers I think," said witness Paul Feschuk.
"She left her jacket inside the building, she was talking about that, and she was directing it at me," said witness Barry Hite. "It was weird because I know she didn't live in that building."
Carlson leaves behind a 4-year-old son. Two others that died in the fire have not been identified. And a survivor who jumped out of a window remains hospitalized in stable condition.
Witnesses say the person of interest is a homeless woman who appears to be mentally ill. Police found the woman, who smelled like smoke, on the street late Saturday, said police spokeswoman Monique Bond.
"She had an odor of smoke, which was one of the indications that basically linked her, in addition to the witness statements and the description," Bond said. "We felt confident we needed to bring her in and question her further."
Three men and one woman were killed in a fire that broke out around 7 a.m. Saturday at a three-story apartment building at 3553 N. Fremont St. The fire department said the fire started in a front stairwell and quickly spread to the second and third floors, leaving the victims no time to escape.
Three small fires were also set in the 3500 block of North Reta Avenue earlier Saturday. The smaller fires were reported around midnight, but didn't cause any injuries.
Witnesses reported seeing the unkempt woman, wearing a teal blue shirt, gray sweat pants and clear plastic bags on her feet, near the scene of three small fires that broke out on late Friday and early Saturday, Police Bomb and Arson Unit Commander Edward O'Donnell said Saturday.
"They saw her by the fires, standing over the fires," O'Donnell said.
"There have not been fires like this," said Cmdr. Thomas Byrne. "Especially in such a short time and with that frequency."
One small fire was started in a building stairwell, another was reported on a sidewalk and a third was located on a front porch, all likely started with newspapers and trash, O'Donnell said.
A homeowner extinguished one of the fires, and the other two were extinguished by the time firefighters arrived, O'Donnell said.
Police have not released any information, as they continue to talk to her tonight.
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