In the early morning hours of Friday, April 17, 2015, a devastating fire tore through a home in the 2400 block of N. 38th St. in Milwaukee. The blaze, which was later determined to be an act of arson, claimed the lives of 25-year-old Michea S. Sampson and 28-year-old Dontray L. Jones. Firefighters were called to the scene shortly after 3:15 a.m. to find the residence engulfed in heavy flames.
The intensity of the fire was compounded by the explosion of oxygen cylinders inside the home,
which initially prevented fire crews from entering. One individual managed to escape the inferno by jumping from a window, sustaining numerous cuts in the process. Once firefighters were able to gain access to the house, they discovered the bodies of Sampson and Jones in a first-floor bedroom closet.
Milwaukee police immediately began investigating their deaths as homicides. While authorities arrested two individuals at the scene on unrelated charges, no suspect was immediately identified in connection with the fatal arson. The investigation into the cause of the fire was a collaborative effort involving Milwaukee police and fire investigators, state fire marshals, and agents from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
