A North Carolina mother has been charged after her four young daughters — ages 2, 4, 6, and 7 — died in a house fire late last month.
The Columbus County Sheriff’s Office said deputies responded to the blaze around 2:30 a.m. on Aug. 30. When the first deputy arrived nine minutes later, the home was already fully engulfed, making rescue attempts impossible. All four children inside were killed.
Authorities allege that Reagan Powers, 28, had left the children unsupervised at the time of the fire, reportedly in the care of an 11-year-old, according to local outlets WECT 6, WWAY 3, and Columbus County News.
On Sept. 10, Powers was arrested and charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter and negligent child abuse with serious bodily injury. She made her first court appearance the following day, where a judge explained she faces up to 59 months for each manslaughter charge and up to 88 months for each child abuse charge. Her bond, originally set at $400,000, was later posted.
The children’s father, Patrick Ellis, shared a statement with WWAY 3, saying: “My heart is shattered beyond words at the loss of my daughters.”
The Columbus County Fire Marshal has not yet released the official cause of the blaze.
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