Dispatch advised that the phone call was disconnected and that the number pinged to the area of Austin and Cedar. Later dispatch advised that they had called back the number that the male had called from and it went to voicemail for the First Christian Church (204 S. Washington Street).
Officers responded to the area of the First Christian Church and located what appeared to be two separate fires inside the building. One fire was on the south side of the building and the second fire appeared to be on the north side of the building.''
Officers then located a male who was later identified as Keith Caylor walking on the sidewalk on the north side of the building. Officers made contact with Caylor and saw that he was bleeding from his hands and his shirt was covered in blood and what appeared to be soot from a fire.
Caylor was detained, and under Miranda he told officers that someone was trying to kill him so he broke into the church to use a phone. Caylor also made the comment "they were trying to burn me alive"
Officers walked around the burning building and checked every door to the building. All doors were found to be locked. When officers initially arrived on scene there was a broken window on the west side of the building near the entry/exit doors that did not have fire near it. It is suspected that this window is where Caylor entered the building and cut his hands.
The fire was a very large fire that fully engulfed the First Christian Church which is located in a residential area with houses in close proximity to it.
Nevada Fire Department fought to extinguish the First Christian Church for approximately four hours. Once the fire was extinguish it was determined that the building was a total loss.
The Missouri State Fire Marshal's Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives responded and investigated the cause of the fire. Their investigation deemed that the fire was an incendiary fire (arson).
Caylor was transported to the hospital by Nevada Police where he was eventually air lifted to another hospital due to serious injuries to his throat and lungs caused by smoke inhalation.
