ATLANTA — Four children died and a fifth was hospitalized after a domestic disturbance led to a house fire Friday night in Paulding County, police and fire officials confirmed.
Authorities have taken a woman into custody and the GBI is among four agencies investigating the incident. According to Channel 2 Action News, the woman was the children’s mother.
Darlene Nicole Brister, 40, was arrested and charged with two counts of malice murder. She remained jailed at the Paulding County Detention Center without bond Saturday. The Sheriff’s Office indicated more charges against her are likely as the investigation continues.
The tragedy unfolded out around 9:20 p.m. at a home in the 700 block of Woodwind Drive in Rockmart in west Paulding, according to Paulding County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Tyler McSwain.
Deputies were called to a domestic disturbance at the residence. According to McSwain, the house was on fire and someone told 911 dispatchers a woman was inside the home trying to stab the other occupants.
Deputies entered the burning home to rescue the occupants and found seven children inside.
Firefighters were dispatched, but two children in the home died at the scene, Paulding County Fire-Rescue spokesman Lt. Steve Mapes said. It was not immediately clear if they died as a result of the fire or were stabbed to death.
Three other children were taken to Grady Memorial Hospital, according to a Sheriff’s Office news release. Two of them had burn wounds, and the third child sustained a non-life-threatening leg injury, Mapes indicated.
One of the children rushed to the hospital later died from their injuries, according to McSwain. And by Sunday, the fourth child had died, Channel 2 reported.
The Sheriff’s Office spokesman said the two other children did not have any injuries.
Paulding County fire investigators, Sheriff’s Office detectives, the State Fire Marshal’s Office and GBI agents reported to the house and are now investigating the fatal blaze.
“Investigators diligently went to work to make sense of the chaotic scene,” McSwain said in the release.
Deputies found Brister on the property uninjured and subsequently arrested the woman.
Officials did not immediately release the victims’ names or ages Saturday, but noted that all five victims are children.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to call the Paulding County Sheriff’s Office criminal investigations division tip line at 770-443-3047. Tipsters can also use the Sheriff’s Office’s mobile app.
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