In the early morning of Saturday, January 5, 2019, a fire was reported in a residence in the 3300 block of Ely Place SE, Washington, D.C. First responders arriving about 6:15 AM found two people dead inside: 50-year-old Regina Bowman and 60-year-old Joseph Burgess. Authorities treated the scene as a homicide; the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner later ruled both deaths homicides. Regina Bowman’s cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head with asphyxia due to neck compression.

Investigators concluded the Ely Place fire had been intentionally set. Police also looked into a possible link between that blaze and a separate suspicious fire on nearby D Street that occurred around the same time, where an assault was reported. No arrests have been announced in the case.

If anyone has information about the fires or the victims, please contact the Metropolitan Police Department.