An Illinois mom is dealing with legal expenses in connection to the deaths of her 5 younger youngsters who had been killed in an August apartment fire whereas they had been dwelling alone.
Sabrina M. Dunigan, 34, of East St. Louis, was charged on Wednesday with 5 counts of endangering the life or well being of a kid after her children — all below the age of 10 — died within the Aug. 6 blaze, in keeping with court docket paperwork obtained by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. A decide set her bail was at $75,000. She was not in custody as of Friday, in keeping with on-line information.
Greg Vespa, an investigator with the Illinois state fireplace marshal’s workplace, mentioned in charging paperwork that Dunigan had left her youngsters dwelling alone and “knowingly caused or permitted a child to be placed in circumstances that endangered the child’s life or health.”
The mother had gone to choose up her boyfriend from work at 3 a.m. that morning — her thirty fourth birthday — and returned to search out her home in flames. She mentioned she suffered burns on her arms and toes making an attempt to avoid wasting her youngsters, however was unable to succeed in them.
Her father Greg Dunigan and his spouse, who reside in the identical condo constructing, had been speculated to take care of the youngsters whereas she was out, however “It just so happened we fell asleep,” he instructed the newspaper. He and his spouse jumped from the second flooring to flee.
4 youngsters died on the scene and one other died at a neighborhood hospital shortly after. They had been recognized as Loy-el Dunigan, 2; Jabari Johnson, 4; twin 8-year-old ladies, Heaven and Neveah “Veah” Dunigan; and Deontae Davis, 9.
The blaze stays below investigation. Dunnigan and her father have mentioned they imagine it was {an electrical} fireplace that started inside their crammed one-bedroom condo, in keeping with the Submit-Dispatch.
Additionally they cited an absence of smoke detectors as a consider her youngsters’s deaths. Landlord Rudy McIntosh disputed the declare, telling the paper all of his rental properties have detectors.
Greg Dunigan was shocked that authorities would cost his daughter with against the law after she already suffered the lack of all her youngsters.
“Why are they trying to do this to her?” he instructed The Submit-Dispatch Thursday. “She done lost all she can lose already. Why they want to take the rest away, meaning herself? She don’t have nothing left.”
He mentioned that his daughter doesn’t have a lawyer but.
