Two Findlay residents get thanks and checks for helping crack 2022 arson case

FINDLAY, OH (WLIO) - Two Findlay residents received an award on Thursday for their help in closing a criminal case.

Nicholas Bishop and Joseph Cross were presented checks from the Blue Ribbon Arson Committee for the information they provided to help identify Heather Gilles as the suspect in a 2022 house fire. 

Bishop was driving on Bell Avenue in Findlay when he noticed smoke coming from a home. He saw the residents packing their things into a car and asked if they needed help, but they sped off without answering, so he called 911. 

Cross, who lived next door, also witnessed the residents leaving, helping first responders identify them and confirming that the children in the house had made it out safely. 

"Seeing the fire department and police in the front yard, and I was like, 'Woah, what's going on?' So I went out there, and they said the house was on fire, and I was like, 'Did she call the fire department?' and they were like, "No, someone else did,' and I was like, 'Well, she just left. She was just here and left in a hurry,'" Cross recalled.

At the time, Bishop and Cross had no idea that the fire was intentional or that their statements would be such a big help. First responders say these kinds of tips are always welcome, even if nothing comes of them. 

"If anybody has information like that, just provide that to an investigator. It may help us, it may not, but it's certainly not going to hurt. It very well may be a small piece of a picture that we're trying to paint," added Findlay fire chief Josh Eberle. 

Arson can be one of the most difficult crimes to prosecute, so the state fire marshal believes that citizens like these are more than deserving of reward money.