A man has been taken into custody on suspicion of starting a fire in his residence that resulted in the deaths of his 74-year-old grandmother, her caregiver, and a woman with cerebral palsy. Brayden Blake faces charges of murder and arson after Indiana police apprehended him at the scene of the fire on East Anderson Road near Bloomington. Responding to the incident, authorities found the house engulfed in flames, with a vehicle crashed into the garage.
Among the tragic aftermath, multiple burn victims were discovered, and an 18-year-old female managed to escape the burning house before the bodies of two deceased individuals were found inside. The Monroe County Sheriff’s office specified that the teenager and a 53-year-old woman named Paula Anderson were the only survivors from the residence. Inside, they found the lifeless bodies of Mary Blake, 74, and Kristine Rowan, who had cerebral palsy.
Following the incident, a search was launched for Blake, with law enforcement utilizing drones and tracking dogs to locate him. He was eventually found in a wooded area near the property, sustaining severe burn injuries. During the investigation, a plastic petrol can was discovered near the dining area, and the presence of flammable liquid was detected on a chair in the living room.
After being hospitalized and discharged without informing the authorities, Blake was tracked down to Avon, Indiana, by State Police and US Marshals. The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office stated that due to his injuries, Blake was confined to Eskenazi Hospital for an extended period before being released without notification on April 1, 2026. He was later located, arrested, and charged with three counts of murder, three counts of murder in conjunction with arson, and one count of arson. Blake, claiming indigence, has been assigned a public defender and is currently in custody awaiting a hearing scheduled for April 20.