ALBANY — Dougherty County District Attorney Greg Edwards confirmed Wednesday that two children died and another was found — alive but injured and placed in the trunk of a car — at a “suspicious” house fire at 2718 W. Doublegate Drive.
Officers with the Albany Police Department barricaded West Doublegate for half a block in either direction Wednesday morning as they investigated the fire, allowing only emergency service personnel to enter.
Edwards was unable to provide the exact ages of the victims, but he did confirm late Wednesday afternoon that the bodies of two children, a boy and a girl, were found inside the home and a third male child was found in the trunk of a car on the property.
“I can’t confirm the ages right now, but I can confirm that two of the deceased were children, one boy and one girl,” Edwards said. “I anticipate that one was at least 7 years old, and I don’t know the age of the other yet. We do know that one child was killed, we believe, prior to the fire and one died at the hospital.
“Also, an adult female, the grandmother, 54, is at the hospital. We are waiting to see how things are going with her. We did find a third child. He was found in the trunk of a car that was located in the garage. How he got there is unclear. He was treated for several injuries and is talking with investigators.”
Emergency personnel responded to the fire around 6:30 a.m. Edwards, along with Dougherty County Coroner Michael Fowler, was among those on the scene as the fire was contained and the bodies discovered.
“The situation here at 2718 West Doublegate is under investigation,” Edwards said in an early statement at the scene. “I can only state at this point that we have at least two confirmed deceased persons, another injured and one person is at the hospital. There is indication that we needed to bring out the Homicide Investigation Unit in relation to this. Of course, there is also a fire. The cause of the fire and the location of its origin is under investigation. So, with all of these elements combined, we are engaging all of the appropriate resources to thoroughly review the circumstance.
“We have other resources on the scene, including the GBI, to assist in the investigation. As matters develop we will have more answers as to what’s going on.”
Fowler said around 5 p.m. that the children’s mother and other relatives in Florida were on their way to Albany. He said names of the victims would not be released until the relatives arrived.
Officers scoured the area, going door-to-door at surrounding homes, interviewing neighbors in search of answers that might have led them to a motive or a suspect. The children’s father was interviewed by police at the downtown Law Enforcement Center after the children’s bodies were discovered. According to Edwards, the father was not at home when emergency personnel arrived.
“The father of the children was not here as was initially reported,” said Edwards. “So he was the one adult that was not here and was not accounted for, but they are talking with him as we speak. He is being interviewed.”
According to Edwards, no suspect or motive had been determined as of late Wednesday, but he said the case is being treated as a homicide investigation.
“There is no information to make any determinations about anything at this point,” the district attorney said. “We are trying to figure everything out.”
The GBI is on the scene working in conjunction with APD and other first responders, performing a forensics investigation.
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