BOONE CO. – A Boone County, couple now faces charges following a multi-year investigation of a 2020 arson fire in Indianapolis.
Leslee Pettit-Myers, 51, and her husband Michael G. Myers, 49, face charges stemming from a Dec. 10, 2020, arson fire that occurred in the 7000 block of West 93rd Street, in Indianapolis.
Pettit-Meyers has been charged with felony arson and leaving the scene of an accident while Michael Myers was charged with obstruction of justice.
The fire was initially reported by a neighbor who heard a commotion outside his home before a white vehicle drove away from the scene, just before the fire became visible from the structure. Fire crews arrived to extinguish the blaze and determined an accelerant had been used on the first floor of the residence.
Other neighbors reported similar accounts of the same vehicle at the property just before the fire and witnessed it crash into a nearby street sign as it left the area. One neighbor was able to identify a partial license plate of the car, which was provided to investigators. The car was traced back to Pettit-Myers, and cell phone records placed her in the area of the arson and accident at the time they occurred.
Investigators say, Michael Myers, of Zionsville, took the white 2016 Tesla Model X to a repair shop in Louisville, Ky., after the incident for extensive front-end damage. An employee of the business said the driver indicated an “unauthorized person” was driving the car at the time of the damage and he did not want to turn the car into his insurance company. A Tesla representative also confirmed the event data recorder in the vehicle indicated a crash at the same time the neighbors reported the accident had occurred.
Investigators were able to determine the site of the arson was adjacent to a home that previously belonged to Pettit-Myers’ parents. The owner of the home where the fire occurred told investigators he and Pettit-Myers had previous altercations during the process of selling the house after the death of her mother in 2018.
This case was a joint investigation conducted by the Indiana Department of Homeland Security and Pike Township Fire Department, with significant assistance from the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, Indiana State Police, Louisville Metropolitan Arson Bureau, and the United States Secret Service.
Investigators encourage anyone with information about a potential arson to call the Indiana Arson Hotline at 800-382-4628 or email TIPS1@dhs.in.gov.
