Maine Township, IL: Couple's death in Maine Township fire ruled murder-suicide

Comments
September 21, 2009
By JENNIFER JOHNSON jjohnson@pioneerlocal.com
A house fire that took the lives of a Maine Township couple Sept. 14 has been ruled a murder-suicide, investigators reported today (Sept. 21).
Lisa Gordon, spokeswoman for the Cook County Sheriff's Department, said investigators, citing physical evidence and interviews with family members, believe Aleykutty Yohannan, 65, intentionally started the fire that killed her and her husband, 69-year-old Philipose Yohannan, inside their duplex at 9396 Home Ave.

Gordon said gasoline had been poured in the first-floor dining room, which had been converted into the couple's bedroom. A gas can, which family members said was normally stored inside the garage, was found inside the kitchen, Gordon said.

The couple's daughter-in-law had been asleep upstairs at the time of the fire and woke up when she smelled smoke, Gordon said. She was able to exit the house and was not injured. A motive for the alleged murder-suicide remained unclear. The investigation report indicated that Philipose Yohannan was bedridden due to a stroke he suffered some time ago, and his wife had been dealing with a health issue, as well. Gordon said no suicide note was found in the house.

The adjoining duplex was not damaged by the fire, Gordon said. The fire investigation was conducted jointly by the Cook County Sheriff's Police, the North Maine Fire Department and the Illinois State Fire Marshal.

Philipose Yohannan was a retired Pentecostal minister, and he and his wife were most recently members of International Pentecostal Church of God in Des Plaines. Both had emigrated to the United States from Kerala, India, and had lived at 9396 Home Ave. with their son and daughter-in-law.

Their son was at work when the fire broke out, Gordon said. A funeral service for the couple was conducted Saturday at Ridegewood Memorial Park, 9900 N. Milwaukee Ave., Des Plaines.