Deadly Arson Puzzles New York Officials

Police say they are baffled by a vicious arson that killed a Long Island mother of three and left her husband and two young children hospitalized in critical condition.

"We're looking at every possibility," said Detective Lt. Dennis Farrell, chief of the Nassau County Homicide Squad. "We don't want to leave any stone unturned." Cops said they haven't yet determined who the intended target of Monday morning's fire was or if it was a case of mistaken identity that claimed the life of Salima Ishmail, 26.

Ishmail, her husband and children had moved into the apartment of her brother, the building's superintendent.

There were seven people in the apartment when someone poured an accelerant under the door and set it on fire, leaving no other means of escape for the family trapped inside, police said.

Related:

• Woman Killed In Long Island Firebombing