CCTV FOOTAGE SHOWS FOSTER WIELDING GUN AND SETTING FIRES.  The West Mercia police in Shropshire had disclosed that the extensive video recordings made by Foster’s CCTV security system show him wandering amidst the grounds of the home, carrying a rifle.

Press Assoc. photo

The tapes also show him as the one driving the horse trailer into the entrance gate and then shooting the tires.

The police also disclosed that the body of the male adult found next to Mrs. Foster is indeed Christopher Foster, but the cause of his death is not yet known.  The third body has not been positively identified, but it was found in the 15-yr.-old girl’s bedroom and they are confident that it will be identified as Kirsten.

They are confident that Mr. Foster shot his wife and daughter, then went out to the stables where he shot the horses and then set fire to the stables and the garage filled with cars.  Then he went back inside the home where he set fires inside the house designed to completely destroy all the property before he went back to where his wife’s body lay and then killed himself.

Press Association

Currently they are discounting any criminal connection to the murders and arson, but they will nonetheless be conducting an intensive investigation into Foster’s complicated financial affairs.

Today’s Telegraph has a good report on the latest chapter in this STORY.

The Press Association has a clip of the police statement:

 Note:  If you haven’t been following this story, take time to catch up on the earlier reports HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE  and HERE.

THE ARSON AND TRIPLE-KILLING OF MILLIONAIRE Christopher Foster and his family is a story worthy of a BBC mystery series.  The working-class man that soared into riches and living the high-life, yet had a behind-the-scenes lifestyle that led to an even faster plummet to tragedy.

Foster had built his wealth on a fortune he made from developing a unique insulation technology for oil rigs.  As he started pulling in the money, he used it to buy properties and “rich boy’s toys” along with horses and artwork.  Along the way he dabbled in business interests associated with organized crime figures, but he was out of his league and made no friends there.

Four years ago he bought the Obaston House for £1.2 million and stocked it with antiques.  Outside he built a stables and a multi-car garage for his high-priced cars.  Then things started going wrong, perhaps by mis-managing his assets, or as a result of some shady business deals.  As his business was crumbling, he went deeply into debt and attempted to shift some of his assets to a dummy company to shield them from creditors.  A High Court judge who issued an injunction against him said Mr Foster “was not to be trusted”, adding that he was “bereft of the basic instincts of commercial morality”.

The original portion of the manor house
dated back to the 16th century.

Recently a former associate revealed that someone had offered him £50,000 to murder Foster, but he refused.  Foster then reported to the police that he had discovered a plot to kidnap his 15-yr.-old daughter and hold her for a high ransom.  It was then that he installed an extravagent security system including multiple surveillance cameras around the house.  Some people were speculating that he was targeted by the organized crime gangs because of bad debts and dealings that had gone wrong.

Last month the firm holding the mortgage on his house put a hold on it prohibiting him from selling it as they were about to seize the property to cover the mortgage debt.

The last time the Fosters were seen by anybody was on Monday night when they attended a large outdoor barbecue at a friend’s house.  By all accounts, the Fosters were in good spirits and enjoying themselves without any outward signs of worry or apprehension.  They left the party around 10 pm and returned home.  Daughter Kirstie then went online at her computer and was messaging with her friends until about 1 am when she suddenly stopped without warning.  That was the last contact anybody had with any of the family.

Early Tuesday morning neighbors reported a fire at Obaston House after hearing several loud explosive sounds coming from the building.  When the fire department arrived, their entrance was hindered by a horse trailer that had been pulled across the gate and then had the tires flattened.  The house was well involved in fire already and there was no chance of saving the home.  As the firefighters were early into their operations, a group of bailiffs arrived at the property with papers to seize the home and contents from Foster on that morning.

It was disclosed today that there were at least three areas in the house where separate fires had been started.

As well, the stables, garage and another outbuilding were also on fire.  After the fire was out, nobody could account for the whereabouts of the family.  The charred remains of the horses revealed that they had been shot in their stalls before the fire. 

In addition, dozens of spent and unspent cartidges were found all around the grounds next to the house.

Over the past two days, three badly-charred bodies have been found inside the rubble of the house.  One of them has been identified through dental records as that of Mrs. Foster and a post-mortem revealed that she had been shot in the head before the fire.  A second body, that of an adult male, was found next to hers along with a .22 rifle that was registered to Mr. Foster.

Monday morning a third body has been discovered and most of today was spent in trying to retrieve it from the very unstable building.  Neither of the other two humans has been identified yet nor has there been any disclosure if they have also been shot or not.

The police have said that all the doors into the house were barricaded from the inside.  For that reason, they are intially speculating that the most probable cause of all this was Foster suddenly flipping out and succumbing to the pressures that had been building on him over the past few months.  An autopsy on the male victim may answer whether it could have been a murder-suicide.

But there is still the possibility, and there will always be the speculation that Foster’s family was the target of an organized crime “hit.”  There will be more information to come out during the next few weeks as the police have 100 officers, investigators and forensic examiners going over every lead and checking up the murky financial deals that melted away.

We will be updating the story as new facts are found. 

The Telegraph filed this recent video report:

SHROPSHIRE POLICE ANNOUNCED THIS AFTERNOON that a third body has been found in the burned-out mansion of the Christopher Foster family.

Detective Superintendent Jon Groves, of West Mercia police, leading the inquiry, said the third body had not been identified.

“Due to its position, it will take some time to remove,” he said in a statement. “We are hoping to get it out by the end of today (Monday). “A forensic archaeologist is due to visit the site this morning to offer specialist advice to those working to recover the body.”

So far, only one body has been identified, that of the wife Jillian Foster, age 49.  It was also confirmed that she had been shot in the head.  The family’s three horses and four dogs had also been shot.

Firegeezer has been following the story and is now working on a summary of the situation.  It will be posted shortly.  For earlier reports, click HERE.

SHROPSHIRE, ENGLAND, POLICE CONFIRMED TODAY that one of the two bodies found yesterday in the fire debris was Jillian Foster, 49, wife of Christopher Foster.

They also revealed that she had been shot in the head with a .22 rifle and now a murder inquiry has been opened.  The other body has not yet been identified, but it is believed to be an adult male.  A .22 rifle belonging to Christopher Foster was also found next to the two bodies.  Their daughter Kirstie, 15, is still missing.

Forensics technicians searching the crime scene have
found dozens of spent and unspent cartridges around
the house.  (Newsteam UK photo)

More of Foster’s murky past is coming to light with these investigations.  Firegeezer will have an update later today with most of the new revelations and any more current press releases by the police.

Yesterday’s update with links to all previous postings can be read HERE.

The Telegraph has a video report on the identification:

SHROPSHIRE, ENGLAND, POLICE HAVE DISCOVERED TWO BODIES inside the mansion house that was burned Tuesday morning.

The strange set of circumstances surrounding the arson at the 16-acre estate has caught the attention of people worldwide.  (See the Firegeezer reports HERE, HERE and HERE.) The Foster family has not been seen since the fire that was obviously an arson destroyed the 16th-century home, the stables and two other outbuildings.

Police confirmed this morning that the two bodies were discovered during the search of the main part of the house overnight, but the identities of the victims will not be known until later following forensic tests.

The Fosters, photographed just hours
before the spectacular fire.

Christopher Foster, 50, his wife Jillian, 49, and daughter Kirstie, 15, who lived at Osbaston House are all missing.  Foster’s recent bankruptcy and heavy debt along with an extravagent lifestyle coupled with associations with shady characters has led to much speculation about what happened.

This video contains the complete police announcement of the discovery and the progress of the investigation:

Firegeezer will continue to update this story as events unfold.

POLICE INVESTIGATORS ARE FINALLY GAINING ACCESS to the remains of the English mansion that was set on fire Tuesday night in Shropshire.

Shropshire Star / Williams photo

The fire was ruled an arson early on and the Foster family members have not been seen since the Tuesday night blaze.  For the early reports see Firegeezer stories HERE and HERE.  The horse trailer that was used to block the entrance gate and hinder the fire engines has been taken away for forensic tests.

Some newspapers are reporting that the horses that were found dead in the stables had been shot.  Also, the three family dogs that were not accounted for at first have been found dead.  Several shell casings have been found in the courtyard of the house and the main doorway had been barricaded from the inside.

The police have searched through all the outbuildings, including the two that had burned down, and are just today able to get inside the shell of the 16th-century manor home.

It has been disclosed that Foster was nearly $4 million in debt and that one of his creditors had placed a lien on the home, which was filled with antiques and valuable paintings, to begin procedings to sell it to help retire the debt.  Some of his former business associates say that he has some “secret” properties elsewhere in Europe that he could have fled to.

The Daily Mail has a recent report along with several pictures that were taken inside the mansion before the fire HERE.

The Press Association has this video of today’s police briefing:

FOLLOWING THE DEVASTATING FIRE IN SHROPSHIRE, ENGLAND, TUESDAY (Firegeezer story HERE) the family of three are still missing.

Christopher Foster, 50, wife Jillian, 49, and daughter Kirstie, 15, have not been seen since Monday night when they attended an outdoor barbecue at a friend’s house.  Other guests there said that the Fosters showed no signs of unease or anything out of the ordinary.

Christopher, Jillian and Kirstie Foster photographed
Monday night at the barbecue outing.

Police officers and fire crews have been unable to search the property as the building is still unsafe.  It is not yet known if the missing family were in the house at the time of the fire.

Foster has a shady past as the owner of a major business that has just been wound up from bankruptcy, a case where a presiding judge branded him as “untrustworthy” after transferring assets from his failing company into another company he had set up under a similar name so he could carry on trading.

Foster had also tried and failed to prosecute a case against two men that he claimed were blackmailing him over a failed land deal in Cyprus.

Friends noted that he was obsessed with security, surrounding his 6-acre homestead with high walls, alarms and a large bank of CCT cameras.  The police have located the CCT unit in the house and are studying the tapes now.

BBC News reports HERE that neighbors of the Fosters never saw them or had any interaction with them in the four years they lived at the estate.

The Telegraph has a video showing an aerial view of the estate:

A DEVASTATING ARSON IN WESTERN ENGLAND near the Welsh border has destroyed a luxury home and nearby stables.  The residents, Christopher Foster, 50, his wife Jillian and 15-year-old daughter Kirstie, are still unaccounted for.

This aerial view shows the extent of the
 fire damage.  (Daily Mail/newsteam photo)

It is not yet known if the multi-millionaire and his family were at home when the fire occurred early Tuesday morning.

When the fire brigade arrived following the alarm, the house had already been burning for several hours and a horse trailer had been pulled across the front of the electric driveway gates to block the fire engines’ access to the house.

Along with the house, the garage, stables, and another outbuilding were destroyed.  The remains of three horses were found in the stable ruins.

The remains of two of the horses are visible
in the leveled stables.  (Daily Mail/newsteam photo)

After having to wait nearly 24 hrs. before they could enter the building, due to heat and instability, the police have retrieved the CCT system and are inspecting it now in hopes of discovering any images of intruders.  There are 80 officers and civilian staff assigned to the case.

itv has an early REPORT.

TWO FREMONT, OHIO, BROTHERS WERE ARRESTED and charged with arson for setting a house fire Saturday morning that killed their father and destroyed the house.

News-Messenger photo

Ian Balderama, 24, was charged Saturday with aggravated arson, and his brother, Matthew Balderama, 22, was charged with complicity to aggravated arson.  Their motive was to play a “prank” on their cousin who lives in the house, but was not at home at the time.  Their grandmother said police who spoke to them Saturday night said the brothers told police they intentionally poured gasoline and started a fire near the basement stairs of the house. 

Matthew and Ian Balderama were arraigned Monday
morning and are being held in Sandusky County jail
under $250,000 bond.

“They was (sic) drunk and probably couldn’t think of anything else to do,” said Virginia Balderama, 69, step-grandmother of the two brothers.  “Am I angry with them for what they done? Yeah, cause we don’t have a home now,” she said. “We’re disgusted really.”

Today’s Toledo Blade has the full STORY.

A 3-ALARM FIRE IN A DALLAS, TEXAS, APARTMENT COMPLEX on Saturday morning destroyed 12 units and damaged several others.

WFAA image

About 50 people have been left without a place to live following the blaze which is being investigated as an arson.  Many of the tenants are saying that the fire was started by a woman who doesn’t live there but was seeking some retribution against one of the residents.

WFAA-TV has the story and a video HERE.

FOR THE SECOND TIME IN THREE DAYS a church was destroyed by a fire early Friday morning.  The Mount Zion Church of Christ was fully involved when the Richardsville VFD arrived on the scene shortly after 3 am.

Bowling Green Daily News

Just two days earlier on Wednesday another church of the same denomination, the Mount Pleasant Church of Christ was completely gutted.  The two churches are only eight miles apart in the Richardsville area.  The Mount Zion church was reportedly the oldest Church of Christ still in use in Kentucky, having been built in 1852.

After the first fire on Wednesday, the pastor of the Mount Pleasant church received an anonymous phone call saying that more churches will be burnt.  At 1:00 pm on Friday, the sheriff’s deputies took into custody a 56-yr.-old man for questioning into both fires.

The Bowling Green Daily News has the stories HERE and HERE.

The Daily News also has a slideshow containing some of the best fire scene photos we’ve seen in a while HERE.

Bowling Green Daily News

UTICA, NEW YORK, SUFFERED ITS 28th ARSON of this year last night.  A fire started in an apartment building that was being renovated after being torched less than a year ago.

Observer-Dispatch photo

Investigators were quick to determine that last night’s blaze was intentionally set, also.  The fire was reported at 9:21 am in the front portion of the building.  It then burned into the second floor and eventually through the roof.  Since the vacant building had solvents and other hazardous materials used in construction inside, coupled with the fact that the building had previous fire damage to the structure, the FD stayed outside for the attack.

Observer-Dispatch

The Utica Arson Task Force was on the scene beginning an active investigation.  On Tuesday they announced that they had apprehended 5 juveniles in connection with three arsons earlier this year (STORY).

Also, the Observer-Dispatch is reporting (HERE) that the area Arson Task Force is strengthening its force and encompassing some resources in the Utica area.  The city is also implementing a plan to board up the first floor of every vacant building in the city and tear down any structure that is damaged beyond rehabilitation.  Utica has long been known for having one of the nation’s worst arson problems.

WKTV Utica Ch. 2 has this video report: