A Florida mother-of-three was found stabbed to death inside her apartment that had been set ablaze while her three young children were still inside.
Her 10-month-old baby died hours later in hospital in what police are calling ‘the most horrendous and horrific crime‘ they have ever seen.
Den’Jah Moore, identified as the children’s mother, was covered in stab wounds when firefighters arrived around midnight on Tuesday at a home on Belville Road in Daytona Beach.
Moore was pronounced dead at the scene, Fox35 Orlando reported. Firefighters found the baby boy in his crib and two other children, aged four and five, inside the burning structure.
The three youngsters were rushed to Halifax Hospital. The 10-month-old boy later died after suffering from cardiac arrest.
The two other children were taken to a hospital in Gainesville, Florida, and were in critical condition as of Wednesday, officials said. Daytona Beach Police Chief Jakari Young said ‘the injuries were as a result of being left to die in a fully engulfed fire.’
Pictured: Den’Jah Moore, identified as the children’s mother, was covered in stab wounds when firefighters arrived around midnight on Tuesday at a home on Belville Road in Daytona Beach
Moore’s 10-month-old son, who was found in his crib, as the apartment was engulfed in flames, later died from cardiac arrest at the hospital
Moore’s two other children, aged four and five, were also found inside the burning structure. Both youngsters remain in critical condition and are fighting for their lives
Daytona Police arrested Charles Ivy, (pictured) 34, near his home in Ormond Beach, Wednesday on the grounds of probable cause on Wednesday, a day after the heinous crime
On Wednesday, Daytona Police arrested Charles Ivy, 34, near his home in Ormond Beach, on the grounds of probable cause.
He was charged with two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of attempted felony murder and arson, as per the news outlet Fox35 Orlando.
During a press conference, the police chief said Ivy was the father of the four and five-year-old and said it was ‘definitely domestic in nature.’ Though he pointed out that a motive is still unknown.
He said none of the children had been physically harmed or stabbed before the fire.
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According to a report, fire officials said there were at least two fires happening simultaneously inside the apartment.
One of the fires is believed to have started in the bedroom, and the second in the kitchen. All four burners on the stove were reportedly turned on. Debris including, burnt paper and a box, were also found at the scene, the report revealed.
At the presser, Young spoke about Ivy’s prior rap sheet that he said was ‘criminally minimal,’ but spoke of the horrors he observed.
‘With what we witnessed throughout this investigation the defendant in this incident deserves a special place in the gates of hell for what he did to this mother and these children.’
‘Again, I have never witnessed anything this horrific in my entire career,’ he added.
Young said Ivy did not confess, but he placed himself at the scene at the time the murders would have occurred.
Through technology, police were able to track his vehicle with traffic cameras after he left the scene.
He said the defendant was also found in possession of the victim’s cell phone.
According to a report, fire officials said there were at least two fires happening simultaneously inside the apartment. One of the fires is believed to have started in the bedroom, and the second fire in the kitchen. All four burners on the stove were reportedly turned on
During a press conference, the fire chief said Ivy was the father of the four- and-five-year-old and said it was ‘definitely domestic in nature,’ though a motive is still yet unknown
‘The evidence is clear,’ Young said. ‘The evidence speaks for itself regarding this incident.’
The police chief also expressed his gratitude to the firefighters for their swift actions in helping to save the other two children, who he said, may have not survived.
He thanked his responding officers on the scene, medical staff, and state attorney’s office to get the arrest warrants.
He also made a special shout out to the investigators, who he said worked non-stop to find leads and get an arrest so close to the Thanksgiving holiday.
