Mom set house on fire with 11-year-old daughter inside for insurance money, cops say

An 11-year-old girl who found herself in a burning home at 3 a.m. was the pawn in an insurance scam, according to investigators in Louisiana.

The girl escaped, but is now in an equally precarious situation, due to her mother being charged with orchestrating the plot, the Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office said in a Nov. 20 news release.

It happened Saturday, Oct. 19, at a rural home north of Walker, and the woman and child were both inside when the fire was reported, the sheriff’s office said. Walker is about a 20-mile drive northeast from Baton Rouge.

“Deputies determined the fire was intentionally set. Investigators received tips from the public ... and discovered the home was in foreclosure,” the sheriff’s office said.

“In addition, investigators learned (the mother) had accepted financial assistance from a disaster relief organization in the wake of the fire. After confirming (she) had filed an insurance claim for the fire damage, a warrant was obtained for her arrest.”

The 36-year-old woman was arrested Nov. 12 in nearby Denham Springs and charged with aggravated arson, cruelty to a juvenile, insurance fraud and misdemeanor theft, the sheriff’s office said. Bond was set at $175,500, officials said.

This story was originally published November 21, 2024 at 7:08 AM with the headline "Mom set house on fire with 11-year-old daughter inside for insurance money, cops say."