Mom walked away as home burned, killing 7-year-old, IN cops say. She’s charged

Four young children had to fend for themselves during a house fire that left one of them dead, and now their mother is facing charges, Indiana officials say.

A 31-year-old Shelbyville woman — who McClatchy News is not naming in order to protect the identities of her other children — is charged with neglect of a dependent resulting in death and three counts of neglect of a dependent, according to July 25 court records filed in Rush County.

McClatchy wasn’t able to find attorney information for the woman.

The charges come nearly two months after a “suspicious” June 5 house fire that killed a 7-year-old boy, according to a recently filed deputy’s report.

The woman called 911 twice around the time of the fire, the report said. The first call, at 1:40 p.m., immediately hung up, though she called again at 1:55 p.m. saying her house was in flames.

When firefighters arrived at the address, the fire was large and flames were billowing out from the windows, “which indicates this fire was going for some time,” the deputy said.

When first responders entered the home, they found the burned body of a child — later identified as the woman’s son — on the living room floor in the fetal position, according to the deputy. Investigators determined he died due to smoke inhalation.

The boy and three siblings were in the living room watching TV when the fire started, the deputy said.

Their mother told the deputy she accidentally caused the fire by falling asleep while smoking in bed, according to the report. She said the smell of smoke woke her up and she jumped into action, rescuing her children from the burning house one at a time, but when she went back inside to get the 7-year-old the smoke was too thick and she couldn’t save him.

However, her version of events didn’t add up as the investigation continued, the deputy reported. She didn’t smell of smoke, there was no soot on her or her clothing, no signs at all that she had been near a fire, the report said.

When asked why she hung up when she first called 911, she told the deputy she was panicked.

Investigators spoke with several witnesses, viewed surveillance video in the area, and collected data from the woman’s phone to determine where she was while her home was burning — and it revealed she had walked away from the burning home, leaving her kids on their own, according to the deputy.

“At the time of the first 911 call in which (the woman) hung up the phone, she was approximately 2 or more blocks from the residence,” the report said. Meaning she was aware of the fire despite being at least two blocks away, then waited 15 minutes to actually call for help.

Investigators learned the woman and her husband were having relationship problems, evidenced by texts, witness accounts, and video showing her painting obscenities on her husband’s vehicle.

According to the deputy, a witness reported overhearing the woman yelling at her husband five days prior to the fire, telling him, “I … hate you, and I hope everything you love dies.”

When the deputy called the husband on the day of the fire to inform him what had happened, he told the deputy “arrest her.”

Officials say three children between the ages 4 and 6 escaped from the home, but their 7-year-old brother wasn’t able to.

The fire began in the bedroom, though the exact cause has not been determined, according to the report.

Rush County is an about 40-mile drive southeast of Indianapolis.

This story was originally published July 29, 2025 at 12:56 PM with the headline "Mom walked away as home burned, killing 7-year-old, IN cops say. She’s charged."