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From the Clarion Ledger (Mississippi)
Survivor of fire with mom again
Charges against woman possible in blaze that killed six
The Associated Press
October 31, 2002
An infant girl injured in a mobile home fire that took the lives of six children has been reunited with her mother, a family member says. Angela Williams was given custody of her only surviving child, 4-month-old Takalay Williams, after a Youth Court hearing, according to Angela Williams' sister, Carolyn Williams. Each sister lost three children in the Oct. 19 fire, which apparently started when a candle burned down. The children, ages 3-12, were home alone, officials say. Takalay was hospitalized after the fire and was released to the custody of the Department of Human Services.On Tuesday, Angela Williams appeared at a custody hearing in Holmes County Youth Court. The proceedings were closed, but Carolyn Williams told WAPT-Channel 16 in Jackson that the court gave her sister custody. DHS spokeswoman Pamela Confer said Takalay was in the care of a family member but would not release details. The whereabouts of the children's mothers the night of the fire remains a key question in an ongoing investigation. Assistant District Attorney Ted Batson said Wednesday that any Youth Court decision would not affect the possibility of criminal charges against either mother.
District Attorney James Powell has said that if criminal charges are filed, they would likely be manslaughter, based on culpable negligence. Powell was scheduled to meet with law enforcement officers and state fire marshal investigators Friday to discuss possible charges. Jacques Bobrowsky, president of Haley's Rights, a Boca Raton, Fla., watchdog group monitoring the case, said he'd never heard of a case where a child is given back to a parent when charges were possible. Bobrowsky said it's common, but wrong, for prosecutors in such cases to decide not to prosecute neglectful parents because of a common perception that the pain of losing a child is punishment enough. "Parents, by law, are supposed to protect them (children) and keep them out of harm's way," he said. "Because of (Angela Williams') gross negligence, her children are dead. The laws are in place for a reason."
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