Peoria man arrested on arson, homicide charges after woman found strangled in house fire

Andy Kravetz and JJ Bullock, Journal Star
·1 min read
The death of J'Naysia M. Hobbs, whose remains were discovered after a house fire at 1021 E. Virginia Ave. on Dec. 1, 2021, is now being investigated as a homicide, Peoria County Coroner Jamie Harwood said.
The death of J'Naysia M. Hobbs, whose remains were discovered after a house fire at 1021 E. Virginia Ave. on Dec. 1, 2021, is now being investigated as a homicide, Peoria County Coroner Jamie Harwood said.

PEORIA — A Peoria man has been arrested in connection with the death of a 24-year-old woman found after a fire on Wednesday, police said.

Tahir Goodman, 28, of Peoria, was arrested by police Thursday on charges of first-degree murder and aggravated arson in the death of J'Naysia M. Hobbs, police spokesperson Semone Roth confirmed.

Goodman is being held at the Peoria County Jail.

Peoria County Coroner Jamie Harwood said Thursday an autopsy on Hobbs indicated she was strangled and dead before a fire consumed her home at 1021 East Virginia Ave.

The boarded up front door of a house at 1021 E. Virginia Ave. where one person was killed in a house fire on Dec. 1, 2021.
The boarded up front door of a house at 1021 E. Virginia Ave. where one person was killed in a house fire on Dec. 1, 2021.

Previously: 24-year-old Peoria woman identified as victim in fatal morning house fire

Hobbs' next door neighbor Kameya Cook said this case "hits too close to home."

"She was full of life, always happy," Cook said of Hobbs. "She always had her son with her."

What happened in the case?

Firefighters were called to the scene at 5:09 a.m. Wednesday and found fire and heavy black smoke on the first floor of the home, according to a Fire Department news release.

Harwood's office was called around 5:45 a.m. to the blaze, where firefighters pulled a body from the home that was "burned beyond recognition" and "obviously deceased," the coroner said. Dental records were used to identify Hobbs.

Peoria firefighters sought help from the Office of the State Fire Marshal to determine the cause of the fire. Investigators there used a K-9 team to detect an "accelerant" which helped confirm the fire was arson, according to a Fire Department news release.

There have now been 34 homicides reported in Peoria this year.

More Peoria crime: Peoria man arrested in Thanksgiving homicide says he acted in self-defense

A firefighter was injured while fighting the fire.

This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Peoria man arrested on murder, arson charges in death of J'Naysia Hobbs