Not Known If Mentally Ill Arson Suspect Tried To Get Help
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - A deadly fire in Homewood is a tragedy that befell a Good Samaritan.
Derlyn Vance, 73, took in homeless people with nowhere else to go, including Latoya Lyerly, who police say set fire to the house killing Vance and two others.
"I just can't believe that someone would do something like that and he was trying to help them. But you know, the world is full of evil," said Michelle McIntosh, Vance's daughter.
As she struggles to make sense of her father's death, questions swirl around Lyeryl's mental health.
She was arrested in an hysterical state at the fire scene, told detectives the house was full of demons and that a voice told her she had to fulfill a mission to kill everyone in the house. This fire was just the latest in a history of criminal and erratic behavior.
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Just two months ago, police in Homewood arrested her for trying to kidnap her own daughter, of whom she had lost custody. Upon returning the 5-year-old to her legal guardian, police say Lyerly bolted with the girl, running down the street until officers caught up with both of them. Police arrested Lyerly and returned the girl to her guardian, who told police that Lyerly was bipolar and schizophrenic.
Court records show that Lyerly plead guilty to passing bad checks and being evicted from a half dozen apartments and residences for non-payment of rent. Recently, she was kicked out of a McKeesport shelter, and even though she had no income, Vance took her in.
"Unless there is a way through the court, through the law we can't force mental health on anyone."
Denise Macerelli from the county Department of Human Services Office of Behavioral Health can't talk about whether Lyerly has been in the mental system, but says by law, if a person is a danger to themselves or others the person must voluntarily seek help or be involuntarily committed by others.
For more information about mental health services, contact UPMC's Resolve Crisis Network.
