Springfield, Illinois – In an update to this story – Today, a Sangamon County Judge has agreed to pre-trial release for Lynsey Hagen during a preliminary hearing this morning. According to the terms of the pre-trial release, Hagen has to complete a mental health evaluation and abide by the terms of her treatment.

According to the Sangamon County Jail, Hagen was released from custody around noon today.

The original story is below:

Springfield, Illinois – A Springfield woman has been arrested and charged with arson for setting fire to her parent’s house while they and her daughter were asleep inside. This incident occurred just 9 days after she was served an order of protection to stay away from her parent’s residence. Arson investigators have determined that the house is a complete loss, with the estimated total value of damage at approximately $90,000.

On October 21, 2023 around 3:23 a.m., the Springfield Fire Department and Springfield Police Department responded to a structure fire at 817 N. Indiana. Police report that the house was fully engulfed with flames and that flames were coming out of the roof.

Springfield Police say that when they arrived on the scene, a neighbor was trying to spray water on the house. According to the neighbor, when they walked outside and saw the house on fire, they said Lyndsey N. Hagen, age 34, was running down the sidewalk barefoot and was asking people for shoes. According to the neighbor, Lyndsey told them, “I lit the sanitizer.” 

According to police, when the house caught fire, Lyndsey’s parents and her 15 year old daughter were inside the residence.

Several days after the fire, on October 25, 2023, police located Lyndsey near the intersection of 17th and Matheny. She was transported to the Springfield Police Department and interviewed about the incident. Police say that when she was walking inside the Police Department, she made a spontaneous utterance and said, “that’s why I was there when it caught fire. I was looking for my wallet.”

Arson investigators read Lyndsey her Miranda rights and asked if she understood them and wished to speak. Lyndsey agreed. Investigators reported that during the interview, she admitted to being present at 817 Indiana on the morning of the fire. She admitted that she was looking for her purse and wallet. She also admitted that she knew the house was occupied by her father, mother, and daughter.

When questioned about the incident, Lyndsey explained that she was in a bedroom using a candle for light, but the candle had burned out. She further stated that while sitting on her bed, she lit a container of hand sanitizer on fire, and that the hand sanitizer fell over, causing the bed to catch on fire. She told investigators that she went outside to get a hose and sprayed it through a window.

Investigators asked her if she tried to wake her daughter after passing her window several times, but she told investigators no. She also admitted that she didn’t make any attempts to call 911 nor try to wake up her parents, nor try to go to a neighbor’s house to have them call for help.

According to records, 9 days before this fire, Lyndsey was served an order of protection which was filed by her father. Her father told a Sangamon County Judge about her direct threats, including statements about harming them while they slept. He also mentioned several troubling incidents, like breaking two windows, destroying flower pots, and stealing items like old jewelry (for its gold value), collector coins, cash, and even laundry detergent. She had trouble sleeping, possibly due to drugs, and ongoing mental health issues that had led to her being held for evaluation in the past. She had never held a job. “We would like for her to get help, but we cant keep living like this. Right now she is out in the back yard lighting firecrackers and bottle rockets,” the dad said. The order of protection was granted and Lyndsey was served the same day.

Investigators say due to the order of protection, which doesn’t expire until 10/09/2025, Lyndsey did not have the authority to enter her parent’s residence, nor did she have the consent of the owner to light any property on fire.

Lyndsey was arrested and booked into the Sangamon County Jail. She was charged by the Sangamon County State’s Attorney’s Office with Aggravated Arson, a class X felony, Residential Arson, a class 1 felony, and a Violation of an order of protection, a class A misdemeanor. A pretrial bond hearing was held, and a Sangamon County Judge ruled that she must remain in the Sangamon County Jail until the conclusion of this case.