mother charged after all five of her children die in house fire
Sabrina M. Dunigan, a 34-year-old mother from East St. Louis, Illinois, faces criminal charges in connection with the tragic deaths of her five young children, who perished in an apartment fire on her 34th birthday in August.
Dunigan was charged with five counts of endangering the life or health of a child for leaving her kids, all under the age of 10, home alone during the fatal incident.
The investigator, Greg Vespa, stated in charging documents that Dunigan knowingly exposed her children to circumstances endangering their lives. Despite suffering burns on her arms and feet while attempting to rescue her children upon returning from picking up her boyfriend at 3 a.m., Dunigan was unable to reach them.
Her father, Greg Dunigan, and his wife, who were supposed to watch the children, fell asleep, leading to the tragic outcome. Four children died at the scene, and another succumbed at a local hospital. The victims were identified as Loy-el Dunigan (2), Jabari Johnson (4), twin 8-year-old girls Heaven and Neveah “Veah” Dunigan, and Deontae Davis (9).
The cause of the fire is under investigation, with Dunigan and her father suggesting an electrical fire in their cramped one-bedroom apartment. They also mentioned a lack of smoke detectors, a claim disputed by the landlord, Rudy McIntosh.
Despite the profound loss Dunigan has already endured, the authorities set her bail at $75,000, and she was not in custody as of the latest records. Greg Dunigan expressed shock and questioned why authorities would charge his daughter, emphasizing that she has already lost everything. As of now, Sabrina M. Dunigan does not have legal representation.
