May 6—A $5,000 reward is potentially up for grabs for anyone who can provide information about a May 4, 1997, fatal fire in Fayette County that claimed the life of a 65-year-old woman.
The fire 26 years ago was ruled arson by a state police fire marshal.
Shirley Mae Saxon was found dead inside her Perry Township home, just over the border from Westmoreland County in Star Junction.
Pennsylvania Crime Stoppers is offering the reward after Saxon’s boyfriend, then 40-year-old Paul Kallock, refused to cooperate in the investigation and denied involvement.
The fire was reported around 4 a.m., according to Tribune-Review archives. Authorities said Saxon was a heavy drinker and had been with Kallock earlier.
Saxon died from smoke inhalation asphyxiation after being rendered unconscious by carbon monoxide, authorities said at the time. She also sustained extensive burns.
Anyone with information about the fire can contact state police in Belle Vernon at 724-929-6262 or Pennsylvania Crime Stoppers at 1-800-4PA-TIPS.
Around the time of the fire that killed Saxon, authorities in Fayette County were contending with a rash of suspicious blazes and arsons, with the majority being at vacant buildings, according to Tribune-Review archives.