Firemen were pleasantly surprised as they entered a burning Washington, D.C. residence at 3:30 a.m. on December 11, 1995. A row house in the Georgetown section was on fire, but responders found the blaze was confined to the bed of the upstairs bedroom. It was an easy fire to quell, but when the smoke cleared, firemen made a horrifying discovery: A badly-burned and barely breathing woman lay on the bed.

With third degree burns on over three-quarters of her body, the home’s occupant, thirty-eight-year-old financial consultant Lynn Amos, was rushed to the hospital. Before losing consciousness, she told a nurse she did not know what had happened. Lynn soon slipped into a coma. She died ten days later, on December 21.

Lynn Amos’s death was initially thought to be an accident. Telltale signs suggesting something sinister, however, soon surfaced, and her death was ruled a homicide.

Friends and family believe Lynn was burned to death because she was about to blow the lid on potentially explosive and illicit business practices occurring south of the border.

Lynn Amos

An Alabama native, Lynn Amos graduated from the University of Alabama then obtained her MBA from the University of Texas. She had lived in the Georgetown section of Washington, D.C. for only four months, having moved from New York City where she had negotiated leveraged buyouts for Bankers Trust and worked for the management consulting company Booz-Allen & Hamilton, Inc.

In the nation’s capital, Lynn began working as a financial analyst for another management consulting firm, Barents Group, LLC. The astute businesswoman was not married or dating, but she had a wide circle of friends and a good social life.

On the evening of December 10, Lynn called her boss saying she had a doctor’s appointment the following morning and was going to be late for work. From 10-10:30 p.m., she spoke to a friend on the phone. She was lucid and in good spirits.

What occurred during the course of the following five hours, when firemen arrived at her home, is unknown.

New To Washington, D.C.

A Carlton cigarette butt was found on the burning bed. Lynn’s autopsy showed her blood alcohol content was .25, two-and-a-half times the legal limit for driving in Washington, D.C. Based on these findings, her death was initially thought an accident, with the fire commencing by her dropping the cigarette while smoking in bed in an inebriated state.

Lynn’s friends and family doubted that scenario. She was not known to be a big drinker, and no one had ever seen her smoke or smelled cigarettes on her clothes or breath.  In addition, no ashtrays, matches, or other cigarettes were found in her home. These and subsequent findings soon led investigators to rethink their initial theory of an accidental death.

Lynn’s Death Is Initially Thought an Accident . . .

Doctors found Lynn’s burns were consistent with those from an accelerated fire, and the insurance investigators found accelerants on the bedroom floor and the bed’s mattress and pillow. They determined the fire was not accidentally ignited by a cigarette. Instead, it was a clear case of arson as a combination of paint thinner, kerosene, gasoline, and turpentine had ignited the flames.

After the investigation was completed, Lynn Amos’s death was ruled a murder.

. . . But It Is Ruled a Homicide

The fire caused only $15,000 damage to the home. The burns sustained by Lynn were commonly found in fires in which the whole building or home was destroyed. The fire investigator determined the fire was purposefully contained to cause minimal monetary damage to the home in an attempt to make the death appear accidental.

Although no one who knew Lynn could think of anyone who would want to harm her, police believe she was likely killed by someone she knew because no signs of forced entry were found into her row house. She may have let her assailant in or he/she may have had a key to the home.

Minimal Damage to the Row House

It is theorized that once inside, the killer overpowered Lynn and forced her to consume alcohol until she passed out. Once she was incapacitated, the killer laid her on the bed and lit it on fire.

The cigarette butt was placed on the bed in an attempt to make it appear her death was an accident as investigators initially believed.

Burned Alive

In the weeks preceding her murder, Lynn had told friends she had received several hang-up calls at home which she believed were related to her work. She had recently made several trips to Mexico to assess the lending practices of several large banks. Lynn told friends that many of these practices appeared awry and that her report was going to be “real ugly” when completed. When pressed further, she would not elaborate.

Emily Smith, who worked in a related field, speculates her friend had come across fraudulent loans or loans involving drug money.

Emily Smith, 

Lynn’s Friend

Lynn’s mother, Helen Amos, said her attorney told her Lynn’s murder had the earmarks of a professional hit.

Helen Amos 

Lynn’s Mother

No suspects have been named in the December 11, 1995, murder of Lynn Amos. Because her death was not initially believed a murder, her home was not initially treated as a crime scene. Thus, any physical evidence that may lead to the identification of the possible perpetrator was probably not collected.

Lynn’s reports on the Mexican banks were not completed when she was killed. Friends and family believe these reports were the impetus for her murder, but no evidence has been found to support the claims.

If you believe you may have information relating to the murder of Lynn Amos, please contact the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia at (202) 727-4582.

The Burning Question 

Who Murdered Lynn Amos?

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/116122348/lynn-ellen-amos

SOURCES:

• Montgomery Advertiser
• Unsolved Mysteries
• Washington Post