18 Cape arsons since 2008 remain unsolved

Cape Girardeau fire officials and police know catching an arsonist isn't easy.

So it was rare when law enforcement caught up with Demarquis Gill just days after he set fire to a car and a home at 1863 Big Bend Road in September 2009. The evidence was overwhelming, too, which is even rarer in an arson investigation.

Gill had fresh burns on his hands and his face, consistent with what he told police -- that he'd poured gas in the passenger seat of the vehicle and lit it with his lighter. Gill was charged with and convicted of the crime and is one of five arsonists caught by authorities since 2008. They cleared six cases with the arrests, while 18 arson investigations involving residential structures remain open.

On many of them, the trail to catch those responsible has gone cold.

"It's so difficult to come up with enough evidence to pinpoint someone," said Sgt. Jason Selzer, a Cape Girardeau Police Department training and community affairs officer. "If you don't get some kind of break -- a witness, DNA evidence or have a strong motive -- it's hard to solve."

It's the lack of evidence and specific leads that keep investigators from solving nine arsons that happened in 2008, five in 2009, three in 2010 and one this year. One 2008 fire in particular continues to trouble police as well as the Cape Girardeau Fire Department. A fire set at 203 S. Pacific St. in April 2009 killed one of the tenants, 42-year-old George Robinson.

"We identified a person of interest in that; we, however, could never come up with enough to charge that person," Selzer said. "But once we brought that person in, two times for an interview, it seems like fires dropped off drastically."

If a suspect is found, that person could be charged with murder resulting from Robinson's death in the fire. What charges to pursue would be up to the county prosecutor's office.

Selzer added the case is still open, although investigators haven't had any leads or new information turn up in a while.

The blaze April 29 was one of a dozen residential arson fires set in 2008, the busiest year in a 10-year time span from 2000 to 2010. The string of fires initiated the formation of an arson task force consisting of investigators from the police and fire departments.

"We never had something that definitively said 100 percent this is the same person. ... Based on the locations and based on the method we felt that most of those were related, but again we couldn't point to just one thing," Selzer said.

Cape Girardeau police and fire officials often aren't alone in their investigations. The Missouri State Fire Marshal's Office is called in to assist when the fire department believes a fire to be suspicious. It's not every fire, though, according to Capt. Richard Lyke, who said sometimes he or Cape Girardeau fire marshal Brian Schaffer just make a phone call to discuss the case.

"If it's a fatality, they're going to be coming in," he said.

Additionally, it's automatic for the state fire marshal to be called when arson is suspected at a business. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is also called to assist at a suspicious business fire.

Vacant buildings

Most of the unsolved arsons in Cape Girardeau, though, have been in vacant buildings, Lyke said.

"One of the reasons for that is if you set fire to a vacant building there's a better chance you're not going to get seen," Lyke said, adding that makes it even less likely for a witness to come forward.

At least two were businesses -- the Lowes and Drusch Law Firm on Independence Street and the Big River Grand Priz go-cart track on Commercial Street.

Since 2008, the state fire marshal's office has assisted in 25 Cape Girardeau fire investigations. Not all were arson-related, according to assistant fire marshal Greg Carrell.

Carrell said that typically the closest available investigator is sent to the location. Many years ago the office used to have the state separated into regions but found one investigator would get tied up with cases and someone else would have to be brought in.

"Why is that any different than sending the nearest investigator?" Carrell said. "Now, it's always a case-by-case basis. It's usually the closest investigator that responds."

He added that it's worked out well in the 25 years he's been with the state fire marshal's office.

"We go where we're needed and you send as many as you need to," Carrell said. "You send who you need to do the job and you get it done correctly."

While reports from the Cape Girardeau Police Department indicate there are 18 active arson investigations, data from the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting System show 41 active cases.

Missouri's definition of arson differs from the UCR's, Selzer said. UCR considers fires set to vehicles, mobile property such as trailers or aircraft, crops, fences and signs as arsons also. Missouri law, according to Selzer, considers those "knowingly burning" crimes; therefore, they aren't recorded as arsons in the department's reporting system.

Lyke said it's beneficial to have as many agencies involved as possible, because each investigative branch brings different skills. The police, for example, have a better knowledge of the interview process when a possible arson suspect is brought in. In an attempt to add to their skills, Selzer said the department has started to send some officers to fire investigation training.

ehevern@semissourian.com

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