Kansas City man charged with murder in 96-year-old Caldwell County woman’s death

A Kansas City man jailed over the summer in connection with a string of arson fires is now facing a murder charge in the death of 96-year-old Lorene Fickess, whose body was discovered in her Caldwell County home after firefighters were called to a blaze there in May.

Caldwell County Sheriff Mitch Allen announced in a news release on Friday afternoon that Harold Edwards Jr., 28, is now facing charges of first-degree murder; first- and second-degree burglary; evidence tampering; arson; abandonment of a corpse; and armed criminal action. Edwards also faces charges related to child pornography after investigators allegedly discovered images in his possession following his initial arrest.

Edwards remained held without bond in the Caldwell County jail as of Friday.

Many details about the case, including the alleged motive, have remained unanswered over the past six months as court records in Caldwell County, including charging documents, are not publicly accessible. But authorities have said Edwards is responsible for setting three fires that sent firefighters and law enforcement scrambling on the morning of May 10.

Authorities have said that firefighters responded to a blaze around 8:30 a.m. at 96-year-old Fickess’ home in rural Polo, Missouri, about 50 miles northeast of Kansas City. A neighbor tried to save her, but the door was too hot and he couldn’t get in the house. By the time firefighters arrived, the house was engulfed in flames, and firefighters found her body inside after the blaze had been put out.

The second fire was reported around 9:40 a.m. at an abandoned house near State Route D and Southwest Mirabile Drive. And the third fire was reported about an hour later at an abandoned house about a mile north on Southwest State Route D and State Route HH.

Authorities have alleged Edwards was placed at the scene of all three fires through location data provided by his cell phone carrier and through video surveillance that captured images of a black 2019 Ford Escape. They have also suggested Edwards may have set two of the three fires to cover up the first one.

Fickess was the only person harmed in connection with the fires. In previous interviews with The Star, her family recalled she had celebrated Mother’s Day with her six children in her home days before she died.

The Star’s Luke Nozicka, Katie Moore and Andrea Klick contributed to this report.