Georgia Teen Killed Younger Sister After Setting His Family Home on Fire on Easter Sunday
A Georgia teen is facing felony charges after authorities say he intentionally set his home on fire on Easter Sunday, killing his 10-year-old sister.
According to Crime Online, the 15-year-old unnamed boy was charged with malice murder and felony murder on Monday, and arson charges are also likely, pending the fire department's investigation.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that the Gwinnett County police are investigating the girl's death as a homicide. The Georgia teen was reportedly taken into custody Sunday afternoon after hours of looking for him as the firefighters and family believed he was still inside the burning home on Beaver Road in Loganville.
10-Year-Old Girl Dead After Georgia Teen Set His Home on Fire on Easter Sunday
According to The Daily Mail, the tragedy resulted in the death of the 10-year-old girl, Zoe McCue, who was trapped inside her upstairs bedroom and died.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that the mother-of-five and two of her children were able to get out of the burning house before the Gwinnett firefighters arrived at around 5 a.m. However, the two missing children were believed to still be inside the house.
Fire spokesperson Lt. Justin Wilson said that "multiple "aggressive search attempts" were executed to find the missing children. Wilson added that when the officials controlled the fire, they found the girl inside a room used as a bedroom but without window access.
The Daily Mail reported that firefighters continued to sift through the rubble of the house to locate the Georgia teen. He was found safe at around 9 a.m. in another location, and he appeared to have no injuries.
"At this time, it has been determined the fire was set intentionally by a sibling of the deceased victim," a police spokesperson said in a statement.
So far, the motive behind the fire is still unknown. The victim's father and another sibling were reportedly not at home when the fire broke out.
Father of Georgia Girl Who Died Says 10-Year-Old Was a 'Leader'
In an interview with Fox 5 on Monday, the 10-year-old girl's father, William McCue, said his daughter was a young leader.
"She kind of like takes the lead and be in charge... She's a handful of a 10-year-old and wants to be the boss of everybody. That's little Zoe," McCue noted.
The father of the Georgia teen also said he learned about the fire while he was working at a local waffle house with his teenage daughter. His coworker reportedly broke the news to him.
When he arrived at their home, McCue noted that he saw the devastation. Their house was burned throughout its front half and the attic.
A GoFundMe page was set up for the family to rebuild their home and pay for their daughter's funeral. As of this writing, the page has already garnered more than $1,000. The family is also receiving help from Gwinnett County police chaplains and the American Red Cross.
This article is owned by Latin Post.
Written by: Joshua Summers
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