Battle Creek Home Tied To Double Murder Found On Fire Twice Tuesday

The Post Avenue home that is believed to be the site of a double murder has once again been found ablaze under suspicious circumstances.

The list of those wanting to destroy the site tied to a 2020 missing persons and double murder investigation likely grows each day. An eyesore at the least and a reminder of the gruesome double murder of a couple who had initially been reported as missing.

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Early Tuesday, April 20, the home located at 203 Post Avenue in Battle Creek was found on fire not once but twice. The Battle Creek Fire Department was initially called to the home at 2:41 a.m. Upon arrival, fire crews found the exterior of the vacant and heavily damaged home on fire. The blaze was brought under control in minutes and Battle Creek Fire Fighters left the scene.

Just 15 minutes later the Battle Creek Fire Department was called once again to the home where a fire was found in a different location in the home than the first. The small fire was quickly extinguished.

The Battle Creek Fire Department characterizes both early morning fires as suspicious. That is in addition to two prior fires at the address that are also characterized as suspicious. 

The home has remained vacant since the initial fire in October of 2020. The owner of the home, Chad Allen Reed, remains jailed awaiting trial for the murders of 34-year-old Joseph Soule and 31-year-old Jaclyn Lepird.

The four suspicious fires at the Post Avenue address are now part of a larger arson investigation. Battle Creek City Fire and Police officials have appealed to the public for information related to a series of arsons in a relatively small area. The following addresses are of particular interest to authorities:

• 64 Oaklawn Avenue
• 203 Post Avenue
• 398 Hamblin Avenue

Three fires have been set at 64 Oaklawn Avenue. The house was part of a 4-call night in a 2 ½ hour span for firemen back in September of 2019. Each of the houses was vacant.

City officials are asking anyone with information on these fires to contact the city’s Fire Marshal at 269-966-3519 or Silent Observer at 269-964-3888. Silent Observer offers reward money for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of someone responsible for a crime.