Authorities have arrested the parents of two young girls who died in a Murrieta house fire last year that burned several structures and killed multiple animals.
Stacey Hales, 46, and Adam Keenan, 43, from Murrieta were arrested Friday and booked on multiple charges connected to the fire that started in the early hours of Dec. 20.
According to the Murrieta Police Department, officers responded to a residential structure fire at 41690 Knight Drive and found a mobile home, carport, three vehicles, two outbuildings and a large pine tree engulfed in flames. Firefighters extinguished the fire after about 45 minutes.
The couple’s daughters, 11-year-old Abagail Keenan and 12-year-old Emma Keenan, were found dead inside the home, along with several household pets. Hales and Keenan were hospitalized after the fire.
Investigators determined that Hales and Keenan were “criminally responsible for the fire,” according to police.
Hales, who is free on $160,000 bail, faces two counts of reckless burning causing death, two counts of reckless burning of an inhabited structure, two counts of child endangerment and one count of animal cruelty. She is also facing a sentence enhancement, according to police.
Keenan was charged with two counts of child endangerment and one count of being under the influence of a controlled substance. His next court appearance is scheduled for March 17, according to booking records.
In the days following the tragedy, a family friend created a GoFundMe page to help Hales cover funeral costs for the girls. The fundraiser reached $54,000 by Dec. 22, according to a previous Times report, and later raised more than $113,000, KTLA reported.
The beneficiary of the funds was Hales’ brother, Scott Nalder. The page has since been removed.
Murrieta police encourage anyone with information about the investigation to contact Det. Velazquez at (951) 461-6340. Information may also be provided anonymously through the department’s website.
