On the morning of October 25, 2019, firefighters in Gary, Indiana, found a house fire on West 20th Avenue that had claimed three lives: 27-year-old Yoasha Carter, her 54-year-old aunt Nefretiri Jones, and her 33-year-old cousin Dwayne Jones. Autopsies showed all three had been shot before the blaze; the absence of soot in their airways indicated they were already deceased when the fire began. Yoasha and Dwayne were shot in the head and Nefretiri had a gunshot wound to her upper left shoulder. Severe burns required dental records for formal identification.

Investigators focused on Yoasha’s boyfriend, Reginald Carter, citing a reportedly toxic relationship and prior domestic violence. Evidence at the scene and during the investigation included a 9mm shell casing in the bedroom, accelerant detected on Reginald’s clothing by a K-9 unit, conflicting statements he gave to police, and a borrowed minivan reported to smell of bleach. He was arrested, charged with three counts of murder and one count of arson, and held without bail.

Does anyone have information about Yoasha, her family, or the events that morning?