May 11--PERCY, Ill. -- A man has been arrested and charged in connection to an overnight fire at a house in Randolph County that killed four children.
Derrick J. Twardoski, 33, was charged on Friday by the Randolph County State's Attorney with four counts of first-degree murder and residential arson. The charges allege Twardoski set the fire that killed four children and did so knowingly.
The blaze took the life of four siblings, according to Randolph County State's Attorney Jeremy Walker. The victims are Ethan Owen, 12, Kailey Owen, 9, Brandon Owen, 5, and Landon Owen, 5. Brandon and Landon are twins.
The State's Attorney is seeking natural life imprisonment due to the number of children killed in the fire.
Another child, 6, whose name was not released, was taken to a local hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation.
The siblings' mother, father and an 18-year-old girl escaped from the house unharmed, Walker said. Officials said they were not releasing the other family members' names due to privacy concerns.
The bodies of the children remained inside the house early Friday afternoon while Illinois State Police and the state fire marshal combed the scene looking for evidence of a crime.
Autopsies on the children were not expected to be done until Saturday morning to determine the official cause of death.
Randolph County Sheriff Mike Hoelscher declined to comment about the motive behind the setting of the fire.
"Due to the current ongoing investigation, we cannot give any more information at this point," Hoelscher said. "It's been a very sad situation with this fire."
Randolph County Coroner Randy Dudenbostel said the fire broke out just before 2 a.m. in Percy, a village in a rural area that is home to about 1,000 people. Percy is about 60 miles southeast of Belleville. The fatal blaze happened
The blaze badly damaged the two-story, yellow home at 810 W. Almond St.
When asked about rumors of gasoline cans found at the crime scene and slashed tires on a vehicle at the home, Walker declined to comment. A pickup truck parked in the driveway behind the destroyed home had a flat tire.
"This is a very sensitive issue at this point and we don't want to jeopardize our crime investigation and future criminal prosecution," he said. "We're not trying to hide anything from the public."
The cause of the fire is being investigated by local and state law enforcement and fire officials.
Neighbors and townspeople, who were shocked and saddened by the news, declined to comment.
A fund has been set up for the Owen family at the First National Bank of Steeleville. Donations can be made in care of the Owen Family Benefit Fund.
Twardoski remained in custody at the Randolph County Jail and is being held without bond.
The Randolph County Sheriff's Office is asking anyone with any information related to the fire to call the department at 826-5484.
Contact reporter Jennifer A. Schaaf at [email protected] or 618-239-2667.
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