LA Times Article: One Dead and Family of Three Also Feared Dead in New Years Eve Blaze

BY MELITA GARNER
One man was found dead and a family of three are feared dead in a fire in a Los Angeles mansion late Friday evening.

One man was found dead and a family of three are feared dead in a fire in a Los Angeles mansion late Friday evening. The fire was believed to have been started around 8:30 pm Friday evening. Dr. Alice Hayes, a neurosurgeon at Cedars Sinai Hospital Dr. Gene Hayes, a heart surgeon also at Cedars Sinai Hospital, and their young daughter, Molly, are assumed to have died in the fire that consumed their Los Angeles mansion.

Their neighbor, Brian Alphona, was also found dead near the scene from a skull fracture inflicted by unknown causes.Police are still investigating the cause of the fire but suspect foul play after a strange man was seen in the area climbing into a van.

"Who would want to hurt them? I can't believe their gone. And on New Years Eve too," Judy Reid, a nurse at Cedars Sinai and friend of the family, said.

"I just saw Alice yesterday. And their daughter. Molly? Oh God, she was so young," Reid said. The staff at Cedars Sinai Hospital have started a memorial fund. Donations can be made by calling the hospital.