Police seek witness in 2002 arson that killed 2 girls

YOUNGSTOWN — You don’t just toss a firebomb that leaves two little girls dead and not talk about it.

That’s how Detective Sgt. John Kelty views the May 2, 2002, double homicide and arson at 33 E. Lucius Ave.

He has a suspect but needs a witness to the vengeful act — someone who knew the fire was going to be set, or heard about it later from the arsonist.

Choking smoke from the gasoline-fueled fire killed Rakaylah Clark, 8, and her sister, Ranayja Clark, 4. The girls huddled under clothes near a second-story bedroom window while fire raged through their South Side home around 12:30 a.m.

Seven of the 18 firefighters who entered the burning building to find the kids were injured. The girls, one on top of the other, died where they went to hide.

Firefighters used a ladder to rescue the girls’ mother, Darilyn Clark, and older sisters, Chaunte, then 11, and Crystal, then 10. The trio escaped by kicking out a second-floor porch window.

All four girls had been in the same upstairs bedroom at the large 2 1/2-story wooden frame house when alerted by their mother’s screams. Rakaylah and Ranayja, instead of following their older sisters to safety, made their way through thick black smoke to another bedroom.

“We have a suspect but not enough corroborating evidence to prosecute him,” Kelty said. “We need a witness who can put him there.”

Read the full story Monday in The Vindicator and on Vindy.com.