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RIVERDALE — A woman and her nephew were charged Tuesday with arson after police say the woman paid her nephew to burn down her trailer home.
Herminia Torres-Gonzalez, 45, and Sigifredo Gomez-Torres, 18, are each charged with aggravated arson, a first-degree felony, and conspiracy to commit aggravated arson, a second-degree felony. Both are being held without bail.
Police responded on Sunday to a structure fire at Lesley's Mobile Home Park, 671 W. 4400 South in Riverdale. An initial investigation determined that the cause of the fire was likely arson, a police booking affidavit states.
Officers spoke with several people at the scene, one of whom was Gomez-Torres. Police noticed that the bridge of his nose seemed burned and skin was coming off of it, according to the affidavit.
Police reported finding a lighter and two face masks near the home. A cellphone with its flashlight still on was found underneath the burnt mobile home's stairs, and witnesses told officers they saw two to three people running from the area after the home was lit on fire.
Gomez-Torres was found at his residence and said Torres-Gonzalez offered him $800 to burn down her mobile home, according to the affidavit, which also says Torres-Gonzelez told police she offered Gomez-Torres $500 to find someone to burn down her trailer home.
In the Facebook group Lesley's Mobile Home Citizens United, one man claimed that Torres-Gonzalez had recently purchased the trailer home but had not been told that the park had been rezoned for development.
A previous post in the group includes a picture of an eviction notice requiring tenants to vacate the premises before May 31, while other posts discuss the June 2022 rezoning decision.
