On September 16, 2016, 59-year-old Venancio Veracruz Benitez was found dead in a garage fire in the 2100 block of West 21st Street in Chicago’s Heart of Chicago neighborhood. The blaze began around 3 a.m.; Benitez, who lived on the same block, was pronounced dead at the scene. Initial reports left cause and manner undetermined, but investigators later concluded he died from carbon monoxide toxicity due to inhalation of combustion products and ruled the death a homicide.

That night authorities tied Benitez’s fatal fire to a string of seven arsons in the area, all ignited in garbage cans or near garage walls. One large fire at 2272 South Blue Island Avenue spread to adjacent buildings and displaced 39 residents; over 100 firefighters responded and one firefighter was treated for minor injuries.

Did anyone in the neighborhood see suspicious activity around the garages that night or know of others affected by those arsons?