EAST POINT, Ga. — A mother confessed to starting a fire last week to conceal the death of her four-year-old child, East Point Fire Department officials said.
Nicole Ashley Jackson, 27, confessed to setting her apartment on fire at Brookfield Apartments on 3072 Washington Road to hide the body of her four-year-old daughter, officials told Channel 2′s Tom Jones.
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At the time of the fire, crews said they noticed heavy smoke coming from the building and immediately started working to put the fire out.
After the fire was out, firefighters began their search and rescue efforts, and the body of the four-year-old girl was found.
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.
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Officials have not said how the four-year-old died and how long she had been dead.
“Our suspicion was heightened that foul play was involved due to the acceleration of the fire,” stated Chief Thornton at a press conference Monday. “We know the suspect used some type of unknown accelerant, which explains why the fire spread so quickly, causing massive damage, and this forced me to allocate all the resources at my disposal to quickly gather and secure evidence and locate a possible suspect. Consequently, I assigned more Investigators than normal to this case because we knew arson was involved, and the murder of a child possibly committed.”
Seven families have been displaced due to the fire, and Red Cross has been called to assist these families.
Jackson is in custody and is charged with felony murder, criminal attempt to commit murder, and two counts of cruelty to children in the first degree.
Fire officials told Channel 2 Action News the autopsy of the victim is underway, and the cause of death will be released soon.
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