TOLEDO, OH (WTOL) - A fire on north Detroit Avenue has changed the lives of so many.
Jauan Lamont Mason is in jail, after he was indicted for setting a fire on July 4th in an adult group home for those with mental illnesses.
Court documents show Jauan Mason admitted to pouring paint thinner throughout his group home. The owner of that facility is now trying to figure out what to do next.
Not much is left of Daisy Lee's Adult Group Home on north Detroit Avenue.
The owner started the group home to help others and in the midst one of the residents allegedly set the fire leaving total devastation behind.
She said the home is a total loss, but she can't afford to tear it down herself.
"This is where it started, and this is what's left," explained Tanya Murphy, the group home owner as she walked through the living room.
Daisy Lee's Adult Group Home still smells like smoke after a July 4th fire. The paint thinner allegedly used to start the fire still sits burnt on the ground of the home that was originally meant to provide comfort to those with mental illness.
"You build something, and you want to help people then this happens," explained Murphy. "It just hurts my soul."
A resident of the home was indicted for the crime just days ago. The owner, Tanya Murphy said she saw that man, Jauan Mason, just days after the Independence Day fire.
"I was kind of upset," remembered Tanya Murphy. "I said oh my gosh, I saw him lying on the bench because he didn't come back, and I said Jauan what are you doing? He said, can I come back? I said to what? It's gone."
Mason now sits in jail awaiting trial, but the residents of the former group home had to relocate to Marria's Adult Family Home which Murphy also owns next door.
The burnt house now sits with broken windows and charred doors. On the outside a red sign sits on the house telling the Toledo Fire Department that it is an unsafe structure, yet the home was not torn down.
Murphy said estimates to do demolish the home ranged from $7,000 to $9,000, which is money she and her non-profit do not have.
"The problem is how am I going to get this torn down? How am I going to get rid of this rubbish," asked Tanya Murphy, Marria and Daisy Lee Adult Group Home owner. "That's my biggest concern. It's a nuisance, I don't want to be fined. I don't want to be in trouble for this."
Before the fire, Murphy was pinching her pennies and d ropped the homes insurance. Now, she is left praying someone will help her as she has spent her life trying to help others.
"Prayer keep me coming back to this parking lot because to see that (the burnt home) I am like oh my god," said Murphy. "Some people would say I am done, but I can't do it because I am not going to displace them. I'm going to still help."
Tanya Murphy knows the building has to come down, but needs help to fund that demolition.
If you are interested in helping her remove the nuisance home you can contribute to her non-profit. She has an account set up through the Urban Credit Union. The account is listed under Maria's AFH, account number 0465765-09.
