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Subscribe to RSSThe deadly Indianapolis home explosion that leveled much of a neighborhood and killed two people is being investigated as a homicide. Officials are looking for a white van seen in the area on the day of the blast. NBC's Kevin Tibbles reports.
Updated at 10:46 p.m. ET: The huge explosion that flattened homes and killed two people on Nov. 10 in Indianapolis is now being investigated as a homicide case, authorities said at a press conference Monday night.
Marion County Prosecutor Terry Curry appealed to the public for information about a white van that was seen in the area, NBC affiliate WTHR reported. He said the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is assisting with the case.
"While the fire investigation has been progressing, there has been a parallel investigation, not solely focusing on the cause of the explosion but focusing on individuals who may have been responsible once accidental causes were eliminated," Curry said. "That investigation has consisted of numerous interviews with various individuals as well as execution of a number of search."
The interviews and search warrants are why the investigation is considered an active criminal homicide investigation, Curry said.
Jennifer Longworth, 36, and Dion Longworth, 34, were killed when their house collapsed on them. The couple lived next door to the house where the explosion happened.
Eighty-one homes out of 125 in the subdivision were also damaged, according to the Indianapolis Star. More than half the homes were deemed unsafe and the city asked that they be boarded up by the end of the day on Monday.
The blast originated in the house of Monserrate Shirley, a 47-year-old nurse. Shirley was out of town at a casino with her boyfriend when the blast occurred, authorities said. Her 12-year-old daughter was staying with friends. Their cat had been boarded before the blast, according to the Star.
Darron Cummings / AP file
Two people were killed and nearly three dozen homes were damaged or destroyed in an explosion on Nov. 10 in Indianapolis. Authorities say they are now investigating the blast as a criminal homicide.
In a tearful interview with the Star, Shirley said: “I’m devastated. I don’t sleep. I don’t eat. I’m just shocked like everybody else. It’s like waking up to this bad dream. I mean I wish I was there, I would be dead. I wouldn’t need to be asked any questions.”
Monday's announcement came hours after the funeral service for the Longworths.
Southwest Elementary, where Jennifer Longworth worked as a second-grade teacher, was closed Monday so students and teachers could attend the service. The funeral took place at St. Barnabas Catholic Church, where the Longworths were married 11 years ago, according to the Star.
Meanwhile, some 20 firefighters and police officers carefully and slowly combed the blast site, hunting for clues in the debris.
Crimestoppers is offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to an arrest. The ATF promises a $10,000 reward leading to an arrest and conviction.
NBC's Isolde Raftery contributed to this report.
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Let's see, they were gone, the kid was gone, and the cat was gone?
Plus this moronic statement: In a tearful interview with the Star, Shirley said: “I’m devastated. I don’t sleep. I don’t eat. I’m just shocked like everybody else. It’s like waking up to this bad dream. I mean I wish I was there, I would be dead. I wouldn’t need to be asked any questions.”
This dipstick is guilty!
Glad your not on my jury. She's guilty before you know all the facts. Not saying she's not guilty, but I'll wait for the facts before I decide.
Mary,
JWL does have a point there. I was thinking on the same lines when the story mentions that everyone was somewhere else including her cat being boarded in a safe place.
Then she says she "wishes" she was there. I mean "really?!" That's the last thing I would say. I'd be saying thank "God" I wasn't there.
The investigators are experts at human responses and facial movements when interviewing a person of interest. Guess we'll all know when the facts do come out.
The owner of this house is GUILTY as hell; Odds your house will be blown up? One in about a million; Odds you will be conveniently out of state when the house blows up? about one in a million Wishing you were dead as evidence of guilt? about one in... one. This stupid woman is going to hang for killing two people!!!
hey mary j. this isn't a court of law. if all posts here were limited to what was admissible in a court of law it would be boring. have YOU ever had an opinion, besides that others shouldn't have one?
Guilty of what, exactly?
Are you implying the explosion was a home insurance scam, and the 2 neighbors were killed unintentionally by the blast?
Or are you implying the family blew up their own house in a bid to murder their neighbors?
Because, according to the article, the police are looking for the driver of a white van that witnesses spotted before the explosion. This statement implies the police are looking for a suspect other than the homeowners.
But, hey, lets just ignore all that, because the homeowner got emotional and irrational over losing her home and two of her neighbors. Because, according to you people, only guilty people get emotional and irrational when they suffer a devastating loss.
Not that is a fact, but how about this. The home owner paid someone to blow the house up while they were gone?
The complete fact that everyone and everything important to the home owner was gone from the house really ways heavy on the investigation.
Nothing like another NIPSCO gas explosion to make it look like an accident.
The white van belongs to the homeowners boyfriend that lives with her in the house that exploded. It was seen in the driveway on the day of the explosion. 2 males, neither of whom were the boyfriend, were seen leaving the house in a hurry, getting in the van and leaving.
The Star newspaper states this white van has been seen at the explosion site many times when the home owners were there. They must know this man. The boyfriend has a long police record and the blast was bigger than they imagined it would be. Don't think they meant to kill anyone just wanted rid of the house to get insurance money!
It kind of makes you rethink when the reporter asked this lady's ex if she would be capable of intentionally destroying the house. Maybe they suspected a whole lot from the very beginning.
Yeah, that's a pretty odd thing to say. I was expecting something expressing mourning for the neighbors, and being thankful that everyone in her own household happened to be out of the neighborhood.
It's called "Survivor's Guilt". It happens all the time in natural disasters. The feeling of relief you have for living through it quickly turns to feelings of guilt, once it dawns on you that your friends and neighbors died *instead* of you. Next thing you know, you start wishing it had been you that had been killed, or you wish you had been killed along with them.
It's not a rational feeling, but it is real, and it can tear a person to pieces emotionally.
Survivor's Guilt and knowing you killed 2 people will really J%^K your mind over
That is funny my wife and I went to Vegas recently our kids were with her mom and I do not even care about the cat and my house did not blow up ? huh.... I understand survivors guilt ... I would be devistated for the neighbors who died and were impacted.... not sure what it is, but something is just not quite right here .....
It would have been nice if the author would have provided a little more information in this article to show why the prosecutor is leaning towards this being a homicide. There has to be more than a weird statement by the home owner and the possibility of a mysterious white van in the area. Pretty disappointing journalism.
The investigators have not been releasing any information until today. The explosion was unbeliveable. This is the first time it's been called a crime except by rumor. My first thought was some strong explosive was involved.
Was it a car bomb?
If investigators have already been able to determine that the blast was a result of a furnace exploding, I would think that they would know if it had been a car bomb.
The fact that it damaged 80 houses and deemed 40 of them unlivable, leans towards excessive explosives and not just a furnace.
This warrants the investigators to lean towards "extra" help with the explosion. I don't think a house full of natural gas can do this kind of damage but I'm no expert. They probably detected flash burns (from TNT etc...) that natural gas wouldn't leave behind suggesting a deeper investigation.
It's gotta be very difficult to do an exact investigation when most everything is blown to smithereens and burnt.
As for a car bomb, I doubt if it were parked in a garage that it still could do this kind of damage.
I'm from Indianapolis. There are a lot of "fishy" coincidences...
These are all new homes (less than 15 years old). They just don't explode.
It sounds like insurance fraud to me.
@Rollie Matheson - Thanks for the info. You brought several things that haven't been mentioned in the national media that I'm aware of. There's mention of her, the boyfriend, and her daughter so I assume she has an ex. I kind of wondered at first if the ex had anything to do with it. Any published details about an ex? It could have just been a coincidence that she was out of town and the kid was not there. (Then again I don't know anyone that takes 3 day outings to the casino but maybe people do.) But then she boarded her cat as well? And the very odd quote which basically said that she'd rather be dead than answering investigators questions with no mention of the dead neighbors or how lucky her own family was? Sounds very suspicious on her part.
Rollie, I think you are on to something, with everyone being gone that day. Nice alliby . When I lived in Pittsburgh, 30 years ago, a house expolded, mob related, someone turned the gas off until the pilot lights went out, then turned it back on t let the hosue fill up with gas, then when the furmace started, boom.
I live about 30 minutes west of the area where this happened. Crazy enough, I was 15 minutes west when the explosion happened but didn't feel it at all. Anyway, the ex husband was the first one to mention the possibility of a faulty furnace. He said his daughter had texted him telling him that she had smelled gas and, I also believe, that something was wrong with the furnace. Supposedly someone came out to repair the problem and replaced the thermostat.
Investigators have been digging for almost 2 weeks now. Citizen's Gas (the supplier for that neighborhood) found no evidence of a gas leak in the main or lines leading up to the home, however they did state that they had noticed a spike in usage from that house. I'm sure once they determined it wasn't a utility problem, it turned criminal. The speculation around here, since it happened, has been that it was something suspicious. Houses don't just blow up and cause that amount of damage (I think 32 homes have to be demolished). Its really very sad.
Well they have filed for bankruptcy and they had been trying to sell the house and no one has wanted to buy it, so there is that. The 12 year old daughter test the father the ex of mother the furn did not work and she smelt gas, this he stated to police.
(spell check) _text and smelled— gas. The ex husband also reported they had told him they were having trouble with the furn and that the ex wife told him the boyfriend fix it by changing the thermostat.
So it sounds like they were setting up the furnace scenario as an excuse?
the question is: WHAT kind of explosive was involved. what direction this case takes hinges on that. the power of the blast suggests criminal intent to me. for it to have been so intense and to have been caused by natural gas or any other normal household chemical the conditions would have had to be just perfect: full dispersal, just enough o2 remaining in the home, the maximum amount of explosive. it just dosen't seem likely. something like c4 or ammonium nitrate makes more sense, and that's criminal.
time will tell.
Evidence of a crime??? WTF On a normal day your house doesn't jut blow up with the force of a five megatone bomb and conveniently when you, your boyfriend, yuor kid AND your cat are away. This stupid and horroible woman and her sleazy ass BF are going down for a terrible crime and soon.
Let's see, the daughter said that there was a funny smell weeks beforehand, then the boyfriend "fixes" the thermostat. Do you suppose he works on furnaces for a living? A van that is frequently visiting the house shows up when they are all gone, and then the house blows up a little later in the day. It sounds like they cleared out the house to let the gas leak unnoticed for a while, then set the thermostat to turn on the furnace and light it off. They probably didn't expect it to be such a big explosion, but a house full of gas makes for a massive bomb. Especially a newer house that is well sealed. The more you can bottle it up and create resistance to expansion, the more power you get from an explosion. Early claymore mines didn't have such good range because they didn't have enough resistance to expansion. Once they modified the matrix to be more resilient, they made a formidable improvement on exlosion range without having to make a major change to the explosive charge. Heck, compare the difference in explosive power between a firecracker out in the open and one dropped inside a bottle. These people being amatuers, they grossly underestimated the effect of a house that's been filling with gas for a while. When you hear about accidental gas explosions, the building hasn't been prepped to stage an accident, and the gas hasn't been allowed to fill the house for so long, so it tends to be a smaller explosion. You usually notice the smell long before it becomes enough to do this big of an explosion, but if they wanted it to blow up, they would have ignored the smell. The fact that everyone, even the cat, was moved out with enough time for the gas to fill the house without being reported is suspicious. So is the detail about the van being a frequent visitor. I think Rollie is right on the money. They were trying to blow up the house to get the insurance money to pay off the house for them. They just didn't know what they were playing with and got a much bigger explosion than they bargained for. This looks very bad for them.
So Shirley blew it up for the insurance money and ended up taking out the neighbors, too?
They say Ms. Shirley went for a three day weekend at the casino. Who the flJck puts their cat in a kennel if they're only gonna be gone 3 days? My guess is she was upside down on the house and looking for a way out.
Actually, I would either put my cat in a kennel, or have a cat-sitter look in on them a couple of times a day. We have two cats, and would never leave them alone for more than 24 hours. Of course, I would not blow up my house, either.
Shirley is Dumb Dora. Stupid Sally. Ignorant Irene. Foolish Frances.
Sounds like a drone strike...Shirley being the drone.
This story is Strange.. It just doesn't make sense. where are more pictures ??
Um, you do realize that most houses in the US are built like they were made in Chinese child-labor factories, right? Little or no positive attachment to the foundation. Concrete block basement walls (if you have a basement at all) that leak crack and crumble if you look at them the wrong way. Toe-nailed stick-built walls. "Economy" Grade-3 reject lumber everywhere you can't see it . Flakeboard for exterior walls if you're lucky, otherwise fiberboard, often with nothing other than the drywall inside to prevent racking. Everything assembled with the fewest, smallest nails possible, such that a middling storm blows them apart like they're paper. Typical US housing construction is embarrassing crap. But then, it keeps the executives in the housing industry well-stocked with Bentleys.
That is an absolute lie; most houses built today conform to very strict building codes (see IBC). A statement like you've made shows real ignorance
New crews have been granted very little access to the neighborhood as its all taped off. Anyone entering must show proof that they live there, and even they are barely allowed in.
FYI. If you'd like to see pictures I did see them on Fox 59's website this morning I think. It was inside the house 2 doors down from the explosion origination.
That's a pretty bizarre statement to make, but then her house was destroyed and her neighbors are dead.
I see long prison time for a couple of people. I bet they soiled their pants when they saw how bad it was in the news.
Who boards a cat?
Who boards a cat?
Someone who wants it safe in a disaster! Or unless you're gone more than 4 days. Have you ever cleaned a cat box after four days? Very disgusting job, even after two days.
I board my cat even if we're only going to be gone over night most of the time, but then again he IS old and I would feel horrible if I came home and found him dead.
I agree with a lot of the people on here saying sheh blew up her own house, though I only see her being charged with involuntary manslaughter, I'm sure it'll come out that she didn't mean for it to kill people. Not that I'm excusing it, but I persoally think that's how it'll work out in the end.
Rollie Matheson says below that according to state law, if someone dies as a result of arson, even if involuntary, that arsonist can be tried for murder.
Thanks I didn't know that opinion. That makes sense, wish they'd make that for drunk drivers who kill people too.
Very odd indeed. The reward amount is paltry - one would think the insurance companies would kick in some cash to help find the guilty.
The insurance company will not pay if it's intentional, so yes I would think they would offer a few coins. Of course they have their own investigators so why spend more?
Maybe not this house, but how about the 82 others? There is going to be alot of insurance payouts. I just stopped to think, I wonder if this kind of deal has to have some special clause?
This is like a bad episode of "Law and Order." The cops will want to verify the activities of every minute of Nurse Shirley and her Boyfriend in the weeks leading up to the explosion. A forensic account, or detective will know more about their finances than they do themselves before it's over. The whole out of town alibi is just too convenient and even the cops have to wonder about the weird newspaper interview response. If my house blew up while I was away I would be happy as hell that I was still alive and certainly not losing sleep and wishing I had been killed in the explosion so I wouldn't have to answer questions. I would most certainly be demanding answers about what happened. Who ever did this had some serious explosives and little knowledge of the amount of damage they would cause. It is possible someone was out for revenge but it just doesn't fit the few facts that have been made public. Doesn't sound like anyone at NBC left the office to write up this story. Just some news service rewrite.
If they are guilty, I believe that they never intended to kill nor murder anyone, which could be why Shirley may truly wish she was dead instead of her neighbors. Not only would she carry the guilty burden of the deaths, injuries, and property damage of her neighbors, the prospect of spending the rest of her life in prison would definitely not motivate her to stay alive. By the way, cats use the litterbox and generally do not eat their food all at once if presented in excess. I wonder if they have ever had the same cat boarded before for other vacations (3 days or longer). Who will get the cat if they are guilty? Do you think the daughter knew? If they are guilty, they will probably get caught via email / text message / internet history / deal with daughter / financial records / confession. Although it is known that investigators are searching for evidence to explain how the house exploded, detectives are also likely building a case with circumstantial facts as well as motive. If the primary suspects were trying to get insurance money for their house, it was a risky bet - like gambling at a casino. I suppose the next wager or throw of the dice may be passing on the plea bargain. If they are not found guilty, I wonder if they will get money awarded to them from their insurance company.
Indiana law states that if someone dies as a result of arson or an arson attempt, you can be tried for murder.
Tune in tomorrow for the next episode of "As the World Turns".
opinion28 - The daughter is 12. Why do you think she would know? And no, insurance companies do not pay when a homeowner intentionally destroys his own house. Jeez!
The daughter may have been aware as she texted her father about the problems with the furnace. Also, I wondered whether or not the insurance company would pay for the house "if they were NOT found guilty" (of intentionally destroying their house). You must have missed the word "NOT." I was wrong about the daughter's age.
I figured it was the Klan from the beginning.
elisem1896
So Shirley blew it up for the insurance money and ended up taking out the neighbors, too?
#4 - Mon Nov 19, 2012 8:19 PM PST
Unfortunately it sounds like Shirley had a Gambling problem. The Insurance company providing the coverage for, "fire", will do a very thorough investigation along with Law Enforcement. I'd be curious as to how much coverage she had. Of course I think it was suppose to be a gas fire and it went terribly wrong. The other possibility was, Shirley pissed off the wrong people and may of owed large amount of monies. My condolences to the Families who lost loved ones in this tragedy. Good Luck to those who lost their homes.
LiitleI56 - why would you assume that Shirley hasa gambling problem just because she spend the weekend at a casino with her boyfriend? Do you think that everyone who goes to Las Vegas, Atlantic City or Reno has a gambling problem? People go for shows, entertainment, time away from home, etc.
IMO, too many coincidences. I said it sounds like she has a gambling problem. Yes, many go to Casinos for the shows, etc., but much more go for the gambling. My bet/s is, she was there to Gamble.
The owner blew it up
Everythig else posted is just BS
I defintely agree with the rest. As soon as I read her comment I said GUILTY !!!
It amazes me how quickly people jump to the conclusion that she did this herself. Maybe - just maybe - someone wanted her or her boyfriend dead.
And the person who wanted them dead would choose the time when there were out of the home and away for the weekend to do it? Makes no sense. And yes, he'd have to know they were gone in order to get into the house...
Occam's Razor.
That must have been one heck of an explosion. Increase the reward to $100,000.00 and get some answers. Sounds like an amateur fooling around with explosives.
This does not look like a gas leak explosion. I have never seen a gas leak take out a quarter of a neighborhood. I believe it was explosives of some sort (oops i think we used to much). Who is her boyfreind and what does he do for a living was he in some sort of trouble with the unknown? The cat does seem a little strange but if you have the money why not put the cat up although having someone check on the cat seems more logical to me. If the house was in foreclosure I would say it could be a case against the owners but if finaces check out something more is going on here.
A gas leak will cause this much damage. This happened in Scottsdale AZ when a man filled his house with natural gas to covering his tracks after killing his family a, huge explosion.
In most cases where gas explosions occur, the gas isn't intentionally leaking for a long time. The smell tips you off too soon, so you either catch the leak and get it fixed, or its a short lived one that causes an explosion. The daughter noticed a smell days or weeks before the explosion and told her dad about it. The boyfriend supposedly fixed it. Since I doubt that he actually works for the gas company, it sounds like prepping it to fill the house while they were gone. Let a good leak go for a bit unnoticed, fill the house with gas, then light it off intentionally, you will get a huge explosion, like in Scottsdale. Especially with this being a newer house, I'll bet it was relatively well sealed up. That will make the explosion bigger too.
Their financials were bad. They had tried to sell the house but couldn't. And they were supposedly behind on payments. There may have been other financial problems too, since they usually travel in clusters. Wait and see on that, but I would not be surprised if they had gambling debts, or shark loans that they were owing on. We'll see.
Clearly the police and ATF know more than they are saying.
They ALWAYS know more than they're saying...they're like lawyers that way. Never ask a question for which you do not already have the answer. This is how they gather evidence, build their case, then WHAM! make the arrests. No one sees it coming.
I say it was the boyfriend, in the garage with a Prius rigged to explode the batteries.. Open the envelope please? Winner... :)
She blew up the house to collect on insurance for her gambling problem. She over did it though. Either that, or the CIA drone story out of Russia.
Uh, use enought dynamite there, Butch?
I am definitely not an expert on explosions by any means. But that explosion seemed a bit excessive for just a gas leak. To take out a majority of a neighborhood seems to be from something other than a gas leak.
What I don't understand is if she was in so much financial trouble, why is she out gambling? It is okay to go to the casinos but if she was in that much of financial hardship, she is clearly not being responsible.
I am not really seeing her as innocent in this. Her house was in foreclosure, she was gambling with what money she did have, everyone including the cat, was coincidentally gone at the time of the explosion, the gas lines showed no problems to that home, etc.
My guess is that she had this planned in some eloborate way to have the house catch fire or blow up to some extent to collect insurance money and to also get out from under a home that was in foreclosure. She didn't really think it through too much and the home exploded far larger than what she anticipated and that resulted in an entire neighborhood being affected and two lives killed. She now has a MUCH larger problem on her hands than a home in forclosure... now she has a whole community affected by her house blowing up like a large bomb. If she did, in fact, do this... she claimed the lives of two innocent people.