Carbondale Police announced Thursday they have a suspect in The Pyramids apartment arson case, which Chief Don Strom calls a roller coaster five-year investigation.

There have been times that it’s going up and everything’s falling into place, he said. Then you hit a dip. We’ve taken such a ride several times.

We still remain optimistic that this case can be solved.

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Saturday marks the five-year anniversary of the fire, which caused the deaths of five SIUC students and injured eight others. No immediate arrests are expected to be made.

Sgt. Bob Ledbetter, lead investigator of the case, said authorities are working with Jackson County State’s Attorney Mike Wepsiec to determine whether there is sufficient evidence to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt.

This is my No. 1 priority, he said. We’re trying to focus on that information that will take it to that level that it’s ready for prosecution. This is a very complex case. It’s like putting pieces of a puzzle together.

Police will not comment on many of those pieces, including where and how the fire started or a motive.

My personal belief is that this fire was never started with the intent of killing someone, said Strom, who does not believe the fire was racially motivated.

The apartment complex, 504 S. Rawlings St., primarily housed international students.

Strom said the suspect, whom he believes acted alone, has been interviewed.

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We’ve always said from the start that there were certain individuals’ behavior that was suspect, and this was one of those individuals, Strom said.

He could not comment on whether the suspect was a tenant of the apartments. Strom said the suspect is not in the Carbondale area.

I don’t have any reason to believe the person poses a threat to the community at large, he said.

Police do not know how long Wepsiec’s review of the case will take and when an arrest could be made.

Arson investigations are very difficult to investigate, Strom said. Any police investigation is going to rely on good forensic evidence and good witness statements. We feel like we’ve done a good job on the forensic part and interviewed all the witnesses.

Police have chased about 1,000 leads, conducting more than 700 interviews in 10 states and Japan. There are more than 2,000 pages of reports, about 300 photos and 80 items of physical evidence.

It has been about three months since the public has generated any new information, Strom said.

Two Carbondale Police officers and representatives from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and the U.S. Attorney’s Office went to Japan in May 1996. Strom would not say why officials went to Japan, but characterized it as a worthwhile trip.

Authorities have coordinated their efforts with the ATF, U.S. Justice Department, U.S. Treasury Department Customs Bureau, U.S. Department of State and Interpol.

An agent from the profiling unit of the FBI Behavioral Science Unit at Quantico, Va., came to Carbondale and now uses the case file to train agents on the appropriate way to handle such a case. Strom would not comment on what the profiler determined about the suspect.

The ATF has been involved in the case because of its expertise in arson. The ATF immediately assigned its National Response Team, comprised of arson experts from across the country, to come to Carbondale and work with local investigators after the fire.

Ledbetter said that although the fire occurred five years ago, he is actively working on the case and is in constant communication with the ATF investigators in Cape Girardeau, Mo.

There might be a week where (Ledbetter) spends the better part of the week on it, Strom said. Any murder investigation has our highest priority.

Strom said that the absence of an arrest has not deterred investigators.

I don’t think [not having an arrest made] affects morale, Strom said. People have gotten so emotionally involved in this. Our officers experienced the suffering of the victims first-hand. That emotional investment continues to this day.

We want to see the person or persons held accountable that’s what continues to drive us.

There is a $32,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.

Anyone who believes they have information, no matter how insignificant, [should tell police], Strom said. We’re in a better position to judge the importance of information.

Strom hopes Thursday’s announcement will generate more leads.

We annually get inquiries into this investigation, he said. We think it’s an appropriate time when interest is heightened in the case to not only reveal as much as we could but to also seek additional information anyone may have.

Strom said the department has remained in contact with some of the victims’ families.

I would assure them that this remains our highest priority and that we continue to devote any resources we need in order to follow up on a lead, he said. I’m convinced that if it’s possible to bring it to justice, this department can do it.