TUCSON, Ariz. — A married couple is wanted for burglarizing and burning down a man's home in Tucson last month, and possibly killing him.
Blane Barksdale, 55, and Susan Barksdale, 59, are wanted on charges of first-degree murder, burglary, arson, felony criminal damge and theft of means of transportation, according to the Tucson Police Department.
According to the Tucson Police Department, it started on April 16, when Tucson Fire crews responded to fire at the home of 72-year-old Frank Bligh near Escalante Road and Camino Seco just after 4 a.m. The fire resulted in multiple explosions at the home, believed to be from ammunition inside.
When Tucson Police officers arrived on scene, they noticed Bligh's car was missing. That same day, Bligh's brother called Tucson Police requesting a welfare check.
The next day, PCSD responded to a call of an abandoned vehicle in a remote area. Detectives later determined the car to be Bligh's, and found evidence in the car that led them to believe he was killed.
TPD detectives later discovered evidence that tied 30-year-old Brent Mallard to the Arson. He was extradited from the Maricopa County Jail to Tucson.
Anyone with information about the incident, or the location of the Barksdales, should call 911 or 88-CRIME.
