EAST POINT, Ga. — The East Point community is coming together to remember a 4-year-old twin girl who was found dead after a fire police said was intentionally set by her mother.
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Arielle Jackson was found dead after an apartment fire on Washington Road on the night before Thanksgiving. Her mother, 27-year-old Nicole Ashley Jackson, later confessed to setting the fire to hide the child’s body.
Officials have not said how the four-year-old died and how long she had been dead.
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The victim’s twin sister, who was at home during the fire, was severely burned, officials said. She is now in her grandmother’s custody.
The grandmother, Sylear Jackson, said Arielle will be honored with a balloon release on Dec. 30 at Dozier’s Early Learning Center.
“After the release we will be able to address the public and answer any questions we are comfortable answering at that time,” Jackson said in an email to Channel 2′s Tom Jones.
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After the fire, Jackson set up a GoFundMe to raise money for therapy for the surviving twin and to advocate for mental illness awareness and keep the tragedy from happening to another family.
Jackson said the Department of Family and Children’s Services dropped the ball and could have prevented the tragedy in the first place.
“On the Eve of Thanksgiving, my daughter’s mental illness destroyed our entire family and the additional seven families who are now homeless during the Holiday season,” Jackson wrote. “Everything leading up to this moment could’ve been avoided had DFACS done their job and followed proper protocol.”
Jackson said an “angel” saved Arielle’s twin sister from the blaze. So far, the community has raised more than $5,000 to help with her care and therapy. You can donate HERE.
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