Woman charged with arson following Independence apartment fire

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A 22-year-old woman faces charges in connection with a fire in Independence Towers apartments earlier this week.

On Friday, Jackson County prosecutors charged Destiny R. Kley, a resident of the apartment, with first-degree arson.

According to the Independence Fire Department, around 4:15 a.m. Monday, crews were dispatched to a residential fire at Independence Tower, located at 728 North Jennings in Independence, Missouri.

The IFD said when crews arrived they saw heavy smoke and fire coming from a second floor apartment. They quickly began their aggressive firefighting tactics and were eventually able to contain it inside the apartment.

A fire investigator said he spotted a definite trace of flammable liquid, consistent with an intentional fire. The Missouri Fire Marshal was then contacted to help investigate.

According to the IFD, no injuries were reported, but tenants in 27 apartments spread over three floors were displaced due to smoke and fire damage.

Kley is believed to be the last known occupant inside one of the apartments. It was later determined that Kley was at Centerpoint Medical Center on self-admission.

An Independence police detective went to the hospital to speak with Kley, who said she had her husband arrested earlier in the evening after police were called for domestic violence.

Kley said that after her husband's arrest, she sat in the apartment and drank a bottle of vodka. She said she was upset about the situation with her husband and began destroying everything in the apartment, breaking several glass items, turning over furniture and throwing her belongings out the window.

She said she then poured cleaning fluid on the kitchen floor and around the stove. She turned the knobs on the stove and sat down on the couch. Kley said she poured the liquid with the intention of setting the apartment on fire to destroy everything “they” had together and kill herself.

A $50,000 cash-only bond was set for Kley.