Blaine Alexander

Firefighter Doug Whitehead remembers this house like it was yesterday and what he saw in the kitchen.

He then saw a locked bedroom and knew something was burning behind that door.

You come inside this room.

What do you see when you walk in?

A body on the floor?

Yes.

What could you tell about this person?

This was no longer just a fire.

They doused the flames, backed out and called police.

What was it that stood out to you when you got to the scene?

Jerry Salters was a young patrolman back then.

He was asked to stand guard in the kitchen.

Police learned three young women lived in that house, Valerie, Ashley, and Tara.

Officers had no way of knowing who lay dead in the bedroom.

So they ran the plates on the only car parked in the driveway, the owner, Tara Baker.

An officer called her mother, Virginia.

And she said, Ms.

Baker, there's been a fire in Athens at Tara's house.

And I said, oh my goodness.

I said, we'll be right there because I thought Tara was going to be upset and I wanted to go comfort her.