A mom from Indianola, Mississippi, asked for help from the public in finding the person who set a Frayser house on fire, killing her son inside.
Christine Atkins Gray said that her son was cleaning out a property he owned on Suncrest Street last month when someone started the fire, engulfing the house in flames.
The body of 37-year-old James Atkins was later found inside the home. The Memphis Fire Department investigated the incident and declared it was arson, according to Local Memphis. Gray said homicide investigators were still trying to determine the cause of her son's death. They were also waiting on a toxicology report to find out if there was anything in her son's system.
No stab and gunshot wounds found on James Atkins
Per investigators, Gray said no stab wounds or gunshot wounds were found on her son. They don't know why he could not get up because he had smoke in his lungs.
Gray told WREG her son James started flipping houses at a young age and already owned about 15 properties at the time of his death. She said that her son was close to becoming a millionaire, but the fire prevented him from reaching that goal. Gray said James loved renovating homes, and one of his goals in life was always to improve the block.
Gray hopes that detectives can find out who did the arson and why it was done to her son's property. Gray felt it was for greed. The grieving mom believed her son was a huge loss as he could have done a lot more to many more people.
According to Gray, the last time her son was seen alive was around 7:30 p.m. on July 6, when he left his home on nearby Ryan Street. Three hours later, firefighters responded to the fire on Suncrest, where her son was found dead.
James' body found in the living room
Firefighters were able to bring the fire under control in less than 20 minutes, but it was already too late for James. They found his body in the living room, where they believed the fire began, according to Action News 5.
Gray said the moment she got the call from authorities was the most devastating time in her life. She said that she fainted and hit the floor hard when she got the call. She is now asking anyone who might have seen anything out of the ordinary on Suncrest that evening to contact cops for information.
She made a plea to the public to help them bring to justice whoever did this and whoever killed her son. Gray said James left behind his four younger brothers and an eight-year-old son.
People with information that can help detectives solve this arson case can call Crimestoppers at (901)-528-CASH.
