House fire that killed 10-year-old uncovers harrowing child abuse claims, GA cops say
Signs of abuse and neglect were uncovered as arson investigators combed through the charred remnants of a home where a 10-year-old died in a fatal fire, according to police in Gwinnett County, Georgia.
Investigators have since turned their attention to the girl’s parents as the couple fights to keep custody of their three remaining kids, multiple news outlets report.
The 10-year-old girl, whom McClatchy News is declining to name, died at the family’s Loganville home in a fire that authorities said was intentionally set by her 15-year-old brother on Easter Sunday. He is charged with murder, police said, and will be tried as an adult.
Arson investigators contacted the Gwinnett County Police Department’s Special Victims Unit after observing conditions inside the home, sparking an investigation into possible child abuse, a department spokesman confirmed to McClatchy News.
The Georgia Division of Family and Children Services is also investigating after court documents revealed the family was living in filthy conditions before the fire destroyed their home, WSB-TV reported.
“The children have not been in school in years, the home has no sewage system, the children have been using buckets to relieve themselves, and none of the children have had a shower in possibly months,” state investigators said in an affidavit obtained by the news station. “It is unclear how the children are impacted, as they have not been outside the home in years.”
The abuse allegations came to light on Monday, April 18, during a protective custody hearing, according to WXIA. State investigators filed a complaint against the parents, arguing that the alleged abuse could continue if the kids are allowed to stay in the home.
McClatchy News reached out the Georgia Division of Family and Children Services on April 20 and was awaiting a response.
A next-door neighbor said he’s gotten only one glimpse of the children in the last 15 years, WGCL reported.
“People around here kind of suspected something wasn’t right,” Michael Kilgore told the news station. “We knew something wasn’t right. They never left that house.”
A court is set to decide who will be granted custody of the children sometime this week, WXIA reported.
Loganville is about 40 miles northeast of downtown Atlanta.
This story was originally published April 20, 2022 at 11:46 AM with the headline "House fire that killed 10-year-old uncovers harrowing child abuse claims, GA cops say."