Pennsylvania mother is charged for the death of her children in a fire when she went out to buy drugs
Danozjna Shalita Marjie Williams left her children unattended for almost an hour to conduct a drug transaction
A mother is accused of leaving her 3 children unsupervised in her Pennsylvania home, where they ultimately died in a fire.
On Sunday, March 29, Danozjna Shalita Marjie Williams allegedly left her children unattended for nearly an hour to conduct a drug transaction, NBC Philadelphia and CBS News reported, citing authorities.
Their children —Da’Liyla, 3 years old; Tobias Huff, 5 years old; and Amirah Al-Mansouri, 5 months old— died in a fire that broke around 4:30 p.m.
Williams, 22 , was charged with third-degree murder, endangering the welfare of children, aggravated assault and recklessly endanger the life of another person, according to a press release from the Erie County Attorney's Office.
At the time of the fire, firefighters urged residents to avoid the area through a Facebook post. A day later, they shared var ias photos from the place, revealing that two of the minors had died and another was taken by helicopter to a Pittsburgh hospital in critical condition.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims, their families and all those affected by this tragedy,” the Erie firefighters wrote on Facebook.
Williams' children were found in a second-floor room of a property at 500 East 26th Street. Da' Liyla and Tobias were declared dead on the day of the fire, while Amirah died from her injuries on April 3rd.
The fire is believed to start in the second floor kitchen, but the cause has not yet been determined, according to CBS News. The investigation into the incident continues.
According to the media, citing judicial documents, the firefighters had difficulty entering the property because a blocked mattress The staircase was and a sofa obstructed a door at the top. The team had to use another door to access the burning house.
“This is a heartbreaking tragedy, but completely avoidable,” stated Erie County District Attorney Elizabeth Hirz in a press release. “The “The evidence shows that these young children were left unsupervised in a situation where they needed their mother to protect them and keep them safe.”