House fire that killed mother, son investigated as murder-suicide

By Ricardo Torres-Cortez

Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2019 | 6:10 p.m.

The deaths of a woman and her young son in a west valley house fire earlier this month were the result of a murder-suicide, according to Metro Police records.

Homicide logs maintained by Metro described the child as a victim and his mother as the perpetrator.

Metro Lt. Ray Spencer said Renai Palmer, 47, used gasoline to intentionally spark the flames that ultimately ended her life and that of Gavin Palmer, 6.

The fire was reported about 8:20 a.m. Oct. 8 in a second-floor bedroom of a house in the 1900 block of Fox Canyon Circle, near Cimarron Road and Oakey Boulevard, fire officials said.

Fueled by the gasoline, the fire spread quickly, Spencer said. And despite working smoke detectors and a relative’s efforts to extinguish the flames, the woman and the boy died shortly after at a local hospital, officials said.

Gavin Palmer died from thermal burns, the Metro logs show. As of Wednesday afternoon, the Clark County Coroner’s Office hadn’t officially ruled on the cause and manner of both deaths.

The relative, who fire crews encountered outside the house, was overcome by smoke, officials said. He was expected to be OK.