A fire that broke out on Sunday before 5 a.m. has claimed the life of a boy and seriously injured his sister. Both children are under the age of five years old according to Aurora Police.
SECOND UPDATE:
The mother of two children who died in a house fire the day before Halloween has been taken into custody.
An investigation led detectives to believe that both children were home alone when the fire broke out, though the cause of the fire is still not being released. The Crimes Against Children unit obtained an arrest warrant for 23-year-old Danielle Lynn Brockman, who tried to flee yesterday morning but was caught in a vehicle near I-25 and Highway 7.
Brockman has an arrest record with minor offenses, according to 9News and had recently moved into the home with the children. The father was living in Georgia at the time of the fire.
Brockman is being held for investigation of two counts of child abuse and negligence resulting in death, a class 2 felony. Her bond was initially set at $500,000.
Additional details involving this case are not being released due to the fact that the arrest warrant has been sealed by court order.
UPDATE:
The Aurora Police Department has issued another press release stating that the second child involved in the fire has now died due to injuries she sustained. Both of the victim's names are now being released as 3-year-old Timothy Joseph "TJ" and 2-year-old Alivia Ramirez.
The cause of the fire is still being investigated and anyone with information about this case is being asked to contact Crimes Against Children Unit Detective Lance Dyer (303) 739-6088.
EARLIER:
When firefighters arrived on the scene, the mother of the children told police the children were both trapped inside. The firefighters had to make several attempts at getting inside the home due to the heavy smoke and flames, ultimately breaking the security bars covering a window at the front of the house. Only the two children, along with two dogs, were found in the home and recovered, according to The Denver Post.
Aurora Police Det. Robert Friel said the department's Crime Against Children unit was also dispatched to the scene to investigate the possibility of child abuse.
Neighbors told 9News that they had seen the young boy running around in last week's snowstorm naked and unsupervised.
"We don't know if the children were home by themselves at the time that the fire broke out or if there was a parent or guardian in the home watching them," Det. Friel told 7News.
Officers were treated for smoke inhalation and exposure, but sustained no other injuries, according to an Aurora Police Dept. press release.