GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — The parents of a 10-year-old girl who was killed in a house fire in Gwinnett County are now on the run, according to police.
The child’s 15-year-old brother is accused of setting the fire earlier this month at a home on Beaver Road. Four other children and their parents survived.
The teen was initially arrested but investigators started to suspect child abuse after arson investigators saw the unsanitary conditions of the home.
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Officers then started a separate investigation into the children’s parents, who have been identified as William and Carina McCue.
Investigators found a makeshift bed with bedding in the bathtub in the home where the child was found dead. The showers and the bathtubs in the home did not appear to be working. Arson and SVU investigators also found an improvised camping-style toilet, seat buckets and non-usable toilets. The kitchen sink water had been diverted from the faucet to go into a bucket on the floor.
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SVU investigators determined that some of the children did not know how to use toilet paper. They were home-schooled and rarely left the house, investigators learned.
The McCues were last seen at a Hometown Suites in Lawrenceville driving a 2017 Honda Accord around I-85 N and Oakbrook Parkways in Norcross. The vehicle has Georgia tag number CHB7385. Attempts to locate the McCues have since been unsuccessful.
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Both parents have been charged with first-degree cruelty to children and second-degree false imprisonment.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Gwinnett County detectives at 770-513-5300. To remain anonymous, tipsters should contact Crime Stoppers at 404-577-TIPS (8477) or visit www.stopcrimeATL.com. Crime Stoppers tipsters can receive a cash reward for information leading to an arrest and indictment in this case.
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