Alan Schlessman, a 21-year-old White male, tragically lost his life in a house fire on April 13, 2003, in Columbus, Ohio. The fire occurred at 64 East 17th Avenue, near Waldeck Avenue, just east of The Ohio State University campus. The blaze claimed the lives of five students: Erin DeMarco, Kyle Raulin, Christine Wilson, Alan Schlessman, and Andrea Dennis. Two of the victims were Ohio State University students, while the remaining three attended Ohio University in Athens.
Investigators determined that the fire was intentionally set, with its point of origin at the front door. The incident took place shortly after a party attended by approximately 75 to 100 people had ended around 3:30 a.m. The fire ignited around 4 a.m., and it took 100 firefighters an hour to extinguish the flames. At the time of the fire, an estimated 15 to 20 people were inside the home. The five victims were trapped on the second floor, with four in one room and another in a separate room.
Authorities later arrested Robert L. Patterson, a 20-year-old man who lived near Ohio State University but was not a student. Patterson was charged with setting the fire after allegedly stealing radios from cars in the neighborhood. Investigators did not disclose a possible motive, but they noted that Patterson may have been involved in one of several arguments at the party that night. He was charged with five counts of aggravated murder, three counts of attempted aggravated murder, and nine counts of aggravated arson. Police stated that Patterson’s name first surfaced as a suspect through a telephone tip three days after the fire. He was interviewed multiple times and eventually implicated himself in the crime. Authorities reported that Patterson expressed remorse for the deaths.
However, despite the initial charges, the case remained unresolved. Prosecutors dropped the charges against Patterson within days, citing insufficient evidence. Patterson later moved to the Marietta area in 2004 and continued to have legal troubles. He was eventually sentenced to four years in prison for attempted burglary and attempted felonious assault. In one incident, he attacked a fellow inmate with a pencil sharpener concealed inside a sock and a towel. Columbus police continued to consider Patterson a person of interest in the arson case, but no definitive conclusion was reached. The investigation remained open, with detectives keeping track of Patterson’s whereabouts. A reward was offered for information leading to an arrest and indictment in the case, and authorities continued to seek leads from individuals who attended the party that night. The families of the victims, including Schlessman’s, expressed frustration over the lack of progress in the case but remained hopeful for justice. They also established scholarship funds and charitable initiatives in memory of their loved ones.
