Woman, 87, killed after fire started by daughter's boyfriend, police say

(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Police in Portage, Indiana, said they believe a man followed through on his threat to start an apartment fire on Tuesday. It killed an 87-year-old woman.

It was shortly after midnight when firefighters were dispatched to the Swanson Court Apartments. A unit on the ground floor was burning, and the fire was spreading. A resident of the second floor was rescued from a balcony.

When the fire was out, they found a woman who was identified as Maria Leal in her first-floor unit. She later died at a hospital.

Police said the woman’s daughter, who also lived there, showed up at the scene and said her boyfriend had threatened to set the building on fire.

A K9 on the scene detected an accelerant, officials said. The man, who was driving nearby, was located at about 1:30 a.m. and arrested.

In a statement, officials said: “The members of the Portage Police Department extend our sympathies to Ms. Leal’s family and friends and hope to bring some sense of justice to them when criminal charges are finalized.”

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