Georgia Teen Charged After Fire Kills 10-Year-Old Sister

Zoe McCue, 10, was found dead in her Beaver Road home in Georgia after her brother allegedly set fire to it Easter Sunday.

Crews arrived on the scene at 4:57 a.m. and found “heavy fire involvement throughout the entire front of the structure,” Lt. Justin Wilson with the Gwinnett County Fire Department said, according to Fox News. McCue’s 15-year-old brother is suspected of intentionally setting the fire, and has been charged with malice murder, felony murder and arson, the outlet reported.

A 10-year-old girl was found dead inside a burning home Sunday morning in Gwinnett County, Georgia. Authorities believe the fire was started by her sibling and are currently investigating her death as a homicide. https://t.co/jD0yOkRqXA

— KWWL (@KWWL) April 18, 2022

“When we were arriving on scene, we had reports of two people being trapped inside the home, a 10-year-old girl, and a 15-year-old boy,” Wilson said, according to Fox News.

“It was determined that this fire was arson and intentional in nature,” investigator Christian D’Allaird of the Gwinnett County Police Department said, according to Fox News. Crews proceeded to search for the boy for several hours and eventually found him at roughly 9 a.m., and he appeared to be uninjured, reported the New York Post. (RELATED: House Party Turns Violent, Leaving 9 Shot And 2 Minors Dead After 90 Rounds Were Reportedly Fired)

A family member reported that smoke alarms were installed in the home, but that they reportedly did not go off during the fire, according to Fox News.

Active Investigation: Homicide. Early this morning @GwinnettFire was called to a residential fire. A 10 year old girl was killed. The investigation later determined that the fire was intentionally set. Our detectives will continue to investigate. pic.twitter.com/W2Psm78wcT

— Gwinnett County Police (@GwinnettPd) April 17, 2022

The children’s father, William McCue, was at work at the time of the incident. He spoke in memory of his daughter, saying “She kind of like take the lead and be in charge. She’s a handful of a ten year and wants to be the boss of everybody. That’s little Zoe,” he said, according to Fox News.

Red Cross and One Powerhouse Outreach have stepped in to assist the family. “You wake up on Easter Sunday and you realize that you lost everything in a fire including a child, and that is just tragic within itself, absolutely,” One Powerhouse Outreach founder Demi Oche said, according to Fox News. “So, we just want to help them get back into a better place.”

A GoFundMe campaign has been established to assist the family’s recovery.