AI representation: ChatGPT
In November 2020, a fire damaged Antonne and Lisa Gose’s barn-style property in Richmond, Indiana. The Richmond Fire Department responded early on November 16, 2020. In a report dated December 29, 2020, Cottingham concluded that gasoline had been poured throughout the interior before the vapours were ignited by someone outside the main entrance.
The couple said they were out of state when it happened and denied involvement. Investigators concluded that the fire had been deliberately set but did not identify who was responsible. Their insurer, Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance, denied their claims, citing suspected arson and the couple’s failure to authorise access to records from a storage facility. The Goses sued for breach of contract and bad faith, but a trial court ruled for the insurer. Firefighters found a melted red container resembling a gasoline container, and material recovered from the residence tested positive for gasoline. An independent investigator, Steve Cottingham of EFI Global, examined the scene for the insurer. He also reviewed surveillance footage from a neighbouring property showing a flash at the front entrance and a person moving towards a vehicle. The fire department also determined that the fire had been deliberately set.
One was rented on October 10, 2020, and closed on November 24. It also requested a credit report and phone records for November 2020. The couple provided phone records beginning on November 16, the day of the fire, but did not provide the full period requested.
They never signed the storage-records authorisation, despite repeated requests.
The Goses said they were out of state at the time. Lisa initially denied that the couple had a storage unit, then said it belonged to Antonne’s father. The investigation did not identify the person who started it. The insurer’s special investigator, Amy Delp, acknowledged that the couple provided documents supporting their travel and that neither appeared to be the person seen in the footage. Both consistently denied involvement. Bank statements showed recurring payments to SmartStop Self-Storage. Records obtained by the insurer showed two units rented in Antonne’s name. The insurer asked the couple to sign an authorisation allowing it to obtain records from the facility and determine when the unit had been accessed.
The insurer’s investigation focused partly on belongings the Goses had moved out of the building before the fire.
