Although two years have passed since a fire blazed through 64 W. 17th Ave. killing five students, the arsonist responsible has not been identified.

The fire began early in the morning of April 13, 2003, and took the lives of Ohio State students Kyle Raulin and Alan Schlessman and Ohio University students Erin DeMarco, Andrea Dennis and Christine Wilson.

Lori Schlessman, the mother of one of the victims, said she is frustrated that the arsonist has not been caught.

“It seems like more could be done,” she said. “We’d really like to see justice served.”

Sgt. Jeffrey Sacksteder, who is in charge of the investigation for the Unresolved Case Review Team for the Columbus Police Department, said the case is being treated as a homicide. Investigators have been in contact with the victims’ families and are actively seeking out anyone that might have been at the party that night. Sacksteder said the police do not believe everyone present at the party has been interviewed, particularly those that were on the front porch when the fire started.

“Obviously this is a case that is sensitive to the community,” Sacksteder said.

He would not comment on evidence, but said they are following up on all leads and believe the information they have is up to date.

Central Ohio Crime Stoppers, a nonprofit organization that provides a safe place for people to leave anonymous tips, has named the fire this week’s Crime of the Week, said Kevin Miles, president of the organization.

“We want people to know that (the crime) hasn’t been solved and the police believe there is still information out there,” Miles said.

Miles said the fire was named Crime of the Week because people talk around anniversaries of tragic events, and it is possible that information could surface.

Information that Crime Stoppers receives from its anonymous tips is collected and given to local authorities, Miles said.

Crime Stoppers is offering $12,500 for information received by April 20 that leads to the arrest of those responsible for the crime, he said.

“We collected the money through fund raising and private donations,” Miles said.

The reward is funded by $5000 from the property owners, $5,000 from the fire marshals, $2,000 from the Central Ohio Crime Stoppers and $500 from OSU Crime Stoppers, he said.

Eric Busch, assistant vice president of Student Affairs, said OSU is still in the process of confirming donors and amounts to add to the reward. He said that at the time Crime Stoppers posted the reward amount, the organization did not have full records.

Steve Sterrett, community relations director of Campus Partners, said the Central Ohio Crime Stoppers is trying to bring attention back to the crime. University Area Crime Stoppers – a subsidiary organization of Central Ohio Crime Stoppers and associated with Campus Partners – wants to be supportive, which is why the organization pledged $500 to the reward fund, he said.

Fatal fires in off-campus university housing are a big concern, Sterrett said.

“We can try to look for ways to prevent (fires) in the future,” he said.

Schlessman said she is concerned about safety at OSU and elsewhere. However, she said she and her husband, as well as the rest of the victims’ families, still love OSU and its campus.

“It would be nice to see a memorial,” Schlessman said. “It is still as hard as it was two years ago. Fortunately, all of the families have connected and are able to support each other.”

Liz Cook, an OSU spokeswoman, said the university has not officially planned any memorial for the victims.

Ryan Riley, a sophomore in pharmacy, lives in the house where the fire occurred two years ago.

Riley said he did not know about the fire before he agreed to move into the house. He said that because he was a senior in high school at the time of the fire and did not know any of the victims, living in the house does not bother him.

The residents who currently live in the upstairs apartment where the fire occurred declined to comment.