A man accused of starting a house fire that killed three people is in custody and facing murder and arson charges, Monroe County officials said Saturday.
Braydon Blake, 28, suffered serious injuries in the fire and received treatment at Eskenazi Hospital until April 1, the sheriff’s office said in an emailed statement.
Read more: 2 dead, 3 hurt, including 'person of interest,' in Bloomington fire
Hospital staff did not notify law enforcement after releasing him, and he was not taken into custody until Friday, April 10, according to the sheriff’s office.
U.S. marshals and state police helped locate Blake in Avon.
According to the statement, sheriff’s deputies were stationed at the hospital for about a month until staff moved Blake to a different area.
“An agreement was reached with Eskenazi that the MCSO would be notified upon Mr. Blake’s release, at which time MCSO personnel withdrew,” the statement said. “On April 1, 2026, Mr. Blake was released from Eskenazi without notification,” it said.
Eskanazi Hospital didn’t immediately respond to messages over the weekend.
The sheriff’s office said the incident remains an active investigation.
Online records showed Blake was in custody over the weekend but court records had not been updated, and it was not clear if he had an attorney.
The fire, on the 3800 block of East Anderson Road, killed Mary Blake, 74, and Kristine Rowan, 33, and seriously injured Paula Anderson, 53, who later died. Anderson’s daughter escaped the fire and spoke to investigators, they said.
Officers said at the time that they had located a “person of interest” in a wooded area on the property and transferred him to a hospital for treatment.
