Woman dead, man has ‘superficial’ cuts after fire, police say
Authorities are trying to sort out the details after a woman was found dead and her husband injured after a fire in a west Las Vegas apartment fire Monday morning.
Clark County firefighters and Las Vegas police responded to the fire at La Villa Estates, 10175 Spring Mountain Road, near Hualapai Way, just after 6:30 a.m., Metro homicide Lt. Ray Steiber said. The fire was out by 7 a.m.
The woman was found dead in the master bedroom, the same place where the fire started, Steiber said. Her husband was found at the front door with “superficial” lacerations, Steiber said, and taken to the hospital.
A third person, the woman’s daughter, was in the apartment when the fire started but was not hurt, Steiber said.
The circumstances leading up to the fire and woman’s death are still unclear.
Steiber said there was a “domestic issue” before the fire started, but added that police aren’t sure if that escalated to a physical fight. The cause of the fire is also still unknown, and police are awaiting the results of an autopsy before making any determinations.
Residents reported hearing gunshots around the time the fire started, Steiber said.
Police have not made any arrests and said they are “not convinced this is homicide,” Steiber said.
The woman’s son, Rayveon Samuel, identified her as Marie Hall.
“I know for a fact, my mom could’ve been saved by her husband, and that’s all I’m going to say,” Samuel said to a gathering of media outlets the apartment complex. He did not say why he felt that way.
Southwest Gas spokeswoman Sonya Headen said crews surveyed the area and confirmed that there wasn’t a gas leak and the meter was still intact.
Cassandra Taloma contributed to this report. Contact reporter Colton Lochhead at clochhead@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4638. Find him on Twitter: @ColtonLochhead.
