(TELLER COUNTY, Colo.) — An affidavit obtained by FOX21 News alleges 77-year-old Lacey Tillitt intentionally set fire to her home after a dispute with her insurance company, sparking the Highland Lakes fire.
According to the affidavit, on Monday, Oct. 28, 2024, at around 4:15 p.m., Detective Yakel with the Teller County Sheriff’s Office (TCSO) was called to 13 Beaver Lake Circle in the town of Divide for a fire investigation.
Detective Yakel spoke with Tillitt who said she had been burning cardboard boxes inside her home in a wood-burning stove to get rid of them, and not for warmth as she was living in a trailer parked outside the home. Tillitt told the detective that she opened the stove to burn more cardboard when somehow the fire came out of the stove and caught a nearby couch on fire. Tillitt said she tried to put it out but was unsuccessful so she got her dogs out of the home. The detective asked her how long ago the fire started but Tillitt responded she didn’t know, replying maybe half an hour ago.
While the detective was talking with Tillitt he saw the house fully engulfed and the fire began to spread to the nearby grasslands and forest, coming within 100 feet of nearby homes. The fire would burn a total of 166 acres and threaten other homes in the area. The affidavit said a later investigation showed the approximate value of the three nearby homes was $1,585,100.
During the detective’s investigation, where he collected witness statements, video evidence, and other evidence, he learned Tillitt had been involved in a lengthy dispute with her insurance provider, American National Insurance, and that she blamed her provider for her house being in a state of disrepair.
The detective got a Court Ordered Document Request for her records and learned in December of 2022, Tillitt had filed a claim about water damage in the home. Between December 2022 and May 2023, her conversations with American National were cordial and about Tillitt seeking help with her claim. In May 2023, Tillitt was given notice that her insurance was canceled.
The cancellation notice provided to the detective by the insurance provider said Tillitt’s home was a fire hazard due to the large amount of debris inside the home, and brush and vegetation outside the home had not been mitigated. The affidavit states that after the cancellation, Tillitt’s conversations with the provider became irate, irrational, aggressive, and often hysterical.
The detective claims that most of the conversations centered around Tillitt’s belief that her provider was not addressing her claim, fixing her home, or providing her shelter, while she believed her home to be uninhabitable.
On Feb. 12, 2024, the detective said there were four recorded conversations between Tillitt and American National. In these conversations, Tillitt made about seven statements about setting her home on fire. One direct quote from Tillitt “I’m building a scenario in my head, of starting a fire in my house…thanks to American National.”
The detective noted that Tillitt was upset with her claims adjustor and she became irate whenever she was directed to him for answers to her questions.
According to the affidavit, on May 31, 2024, TCSO Deputy Salmons called Tillitt to check up on her. During Deputy Salmons’s conversation with Tillitt, she said “Just ignore the calls, I’m okay, unless you see my house burning.” The Deputy said he was trying to prevent that but Tillitt quickly changed the subject without clarifying if she was serious or not.
On June 10, 2024, Tillitt called American National about 30 times, being irate during most of the conversations. The affidavit said Tillitt believed she had to leave her home, or that no work had been done on her home. She was told by American National that any requests would have to be submitted in writing, but she continued to call. On June 13, 2024, Tillitt called and said she spent April and May in her home, in a disgraceful condition, with no flooring, everything piled like a bonfire in the middle of the living room and bedroom.
Tillitt continued to call, demanding her problems be resolved and complaining that no one was helping her. On Aug. 22, 2024, she called trying to get the location of her claims adjustor, claiming to be in Dallas, Texas. She was able to ascertain where the Claims Adjustor was and said she was on her way. The affidavit states that the detective learned Tillitt had driven to Springfield, Missouri to confront the Claims Adjustor, which resulted in police being called and an injunction/restraining order being filed against Tillitt.
The detective said around July and August, Tillitt was getting notices of the pending foreclosure of her home. On Oct. 25, three days before the fire, Tillitt called American National saying she was living in her trailer, that she had been told by TCSO that she couldn’t live in the trailer. She demanded several times to know why her policy was canceled. The detective noted Tillitt was hysterical throughout the conversation, when asked to submit a request in writing she began crying and saying she could not do so.
“Why didn’t my insurance company protect me? Why did they help to take my home away,” Tillitt said, according to the affidavit. “This is an act of God.”
Tillitt ended the conversation yelling and screaming hysterically, according to the detective.
After the fire on Oct. 29, Tillitt called American National and told them her house had burned down. The foreclosure on the home was scheduled for Sept. 9 but got rescheduled several times to Oct. 30, two days after the fire.
The detective said after a review of the recorded phone conversations and documents, investigators concluded that it was probable that Tillitt knowingly and recklessly set fire to her home. The detective points to the seven statements to American National about burning her house down and the conversation with the TCSO deputy.
A fire investigator with the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control conducted an investigation and said “An intentional fire start hypothesis cannot be ruled out.” The fire investigator said he could not exclude the possibility of the intentional act of arson as they had been unable to interview Tillitt.
The detective requested probable cause be found to charge Tillitt with Fourth Degree Arson.
