Police say a suspect admitted igniting a couch and was later found with soot on his hands.
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — A woman was found dead in a fire-damaged mobile home on Indianapolis’ southwest side, and police arrested a 54-year-old man after investigators said he admitted setting the fire and leaving as the smoke alarm sounded.
The case is drawing attention not only because of the death and the arrest, but also because of how the fire behaved inside the structure. A fire official said crews arrived to find the blaze already out and largely contained, an uncommon pattern for mobile home fires. Police are treating the death as a homicide investigation tied to arson.
Officers and firefighters were called to a mobile home park in the 2800 block of Landola Lane at about 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 25, after a report of a person down and unresponsive. Investigators said a roommate returning from an overnight shift found fire damage throughout the living room and the woman dead in a bedroom near a window. Police said a container of charcoal lighter fluid was near the woman when she was found.
Wayne Township Fire Department Assistant Chief Courtney Rice described the scene as unusual for a mobile home, saying there was no damage to the outside of the trailer while the interior showed fire involvement. Rice said that is not common because when a mobile home catches fire, it typically spreads quickly and breaks out beyond the walls.
Police said the arrest was based on a combination of physical evidence and statements summarized in a probable cause affidavit. Investigators said the suspect told detectives he had argued with the woman, left the home and went to a nearby Family Dollar store, where he stole a box of matches. Police said he returned intending to start a fire, could not find lighter fluid, and used nail polish remover to ignite the living room couch.
Detectives later recovered the matches and a receipt tied to the purchase, police said, and they found the box of matches in a nearby creek where the suspect said he threw it. Police said the suspect returned to the home after the fire was set, looked for the woman and claimed he did not find her, then left again. Investigators said he discarded three cell phones into a nearby sewer, and two phones were recovered.
Officers located the suspect in a vehicle nearby and saw black soot on his hands, according to investigators. Police arrested him on preliminary charges of murder and arson causing serious bodily injury. The suspect was identified in local reporting as Randall Lee Buchanan, 54, of Bargersville. The Marion County Prosecutor’s Office will decide what formal charges to file.
Officials have not publicly released the woman’s name. The Marion County Coroner’s Office is expected to confirm her identity and determine the manner and cause of death. Fire officials have said the investigation will rely on the medical examiner’s findings along with evidence collected from the home’s interior, where the fire’s heaviest damage was reported.
Police also noted the home had drawn attention earlier in the week. A local report said officers had visited the mobile home during a missing person investigation involving Buchanan on Sunday, though authorities have not released the full timeline of that earlier call or how it relates to the days leading up to the fire.
Investigators are expected to continue interviews and review digital evidence recovered during the search for phones and other items described in the affidavit. The next steps include the prosecutor’s charging decision and court proceedings that typically follow an arrest on preliminary charges, while the coroner’s findings are pending.
Author note: Last updated February 27, 2026.