Update: Suspect in deadly East Anderson Road fire arrested after release from hospital went unreported

Staff report

Bloomington, Ind. – April 11, 2026

Braydon Blake, a 28-year-old man charged in connection with the Jan. 18 house fire on East Anderson Road that left three people dead has been arrested after authorities said he was released from an Indianapolis hospital without notice to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office.

Because of his injuries, Blake remained at Eskenazi Hospital for an extended period, according to the sheriff’s office. Deputies provided security there for about a month, but later were moved to a location where they could no longer maintain visual contact with him. The sheriff’s office said an agreement had been reached with the hospital that deputies would be notified when Blake was released.

The sheriff’s office said Blake was released from Eskenazi on April 1 without notification. Investigators independently learned on April 9 that he had been released and immediately began trying to locate him.

With assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service and Indiana State Police, Blake was found in Avon and taken into custody April 10 at about 2:20 p.m. He was later booked into the Monroe County Jail on the murder and arson charges.

According to an update from the sheriff’s office, Monroe County Central Emergency Dispatch received multiple 911 calls at about 2:39 a.m. on Jan. 18 reporting a house fire with people possibly trapped inside in the 3800 block of East Anderson Road.

When deputies and firefighters arrived, they found a vehicle had crashed into the residence and the home was actively burning.

One person who escaped the house had severe burns, and a second person at the scene provided initial information to deputies. Both were taken to IU Health Bloomington Hospital and later transferred to an Indianapolis hospital for further treatment.

Deputies said they accounted for the other occupants of the residence while also searching for the person suspected of starting the fire. About an hour later, with help from Bloomington Police and Indiana State Police, officers found a person of interest, Blake, in a wooded area on the property. That person also had burn injuries and was taken to IU Health Bloomington Hospital before being transferred to Indianapolis.

Three occupants of the home died from injuries sustained in the fire.

Authorities sought charges through the Monroe County Prosecutor’s Office, and an arrest warrant was issued for Blake, 28, on charges of murder and arson.

The case remains under investigation by the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office Investigative Division, the Indiana State Fire Marshal’s Office, the Monroe County Fire Protection District and the Monroe County Coroner’s Office.

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