FLORA, Ind. — A settlement has been reached in the civil suit filed on behalf of Gaylin Rose, the mother of four girls who were killed in a Flora arson fire in 2016.
According to court documents, filed on Sept. 6 and entered into the docket on Tuesday, officials said the parties in this lawsuit “attained” a settlement, the details of which are confidential. Jonathan Bont, an attorney for Rose’s landlord Josh Ayres also confirmed a settlement was reached.
According to previous reports, Rose sued Ayres, his business partner Troy Helderman and Birch Tree Holdings, their company, after the November 2016 house fire that resulted in the death of 11-year-old Keyana Davis, 9-year-old Keyara Phillips, 7-year-old Kerriele McDonald and 5-year-old Kionnie Welch.
The lawsuit claimed that Rose complained to the landlord about a lack of working smoke detectors, non-functioning electrical outlets and non-locking doors in the home prior to the fire. Originally, investigators said they found accelerants in several parts of the home, but that was later found not to be true. According to previous reports, Indiana State Police said at the time that it was discovered that accelerants were only found in one part of the home, showing where the fire began.
A peer review of the fire that was conducted by the Indianapolis Fire Department concluded that the fire was confirmed as arson, according to previous reports. Because the fire was determined to be intentionally set, Indiana State Police were called to continue the investigation into the incident.
In August, a court ordered the home to be demolished after the parties confirmed there was “no need for continued preservation of the property.” No suspect has been determined for this arson case.
According to court documents, the court vacated any previous pending deadlines and set a scheduled telephone conference for 11:30 a.m. on March 8, 2024. This conference will happen “only if the case does not settle.”
“At this time, the court indicates that the case will be termed administratively,” the documents read. “At a later date, the parties will move to close the date officially. Stipulations of dismissal are due by March 1, 2024.”
