Woman Reportedly Burns Down House After Facebook Un-Friending

First a friendship, and then a garage, went up in flames in Des Moines, Iowa this week.

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A recent house fire at the Iowa home of Jim and Nikki Rasmussen has been traced to an unlikely source: an un-friending on Facebook.

According to the Des Moines Register, the Rasmussen family homestead went up in smokeĀ  in the early morning hours of Oct. 27. The fire department suspected arson and when the family was asked by investigators if anyone would want to harm the family. Both husband and wife agreed there was only one suspect: Jen Harris. Detectives have since arrested Jennifer Christine Harris, 30, of Des Moines, on a charge of first-degree arson.

The friendship of Nikki Rasmussen and Harris apparently hit a rough patch while the former friends were planning a party via Facebook. When the big event went bust with many declined e-vites, Harris allegedly held Rasmussen accountable, and according to news reports, posted some unsavory items on her Facebook wall. In this modern age, Rasmussen exacted her revenge with a few clicks of the mouse and de-friended Harris. This affront was too much for Harris who took her anger offline and allegedly torched the family’s garage, melting the siding clean off the home.

The Associated Press says that the fire destroyed a detached garage and damaged the home of the Rasmussens, but caused no injuries. Harris is being held in the Polk County Jail on $100,000 bond.

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