Post-mortem examinations are to be done today on the two children who perished in a fire on Sunday as investigations continue into the cause of the blaze and whether the siblings had been left without adult supervision.
Eight-year-old Shania Marshall and her 11-year-old brother Adam died in the Joseph Pollydore Street fire after they were unable to escape.
The remains are at the Lyken Funeral Home. An aunt visited yesterday for the first time to claim the remains and begin preparations for burial.
When contacted, Fire Chief, Marlon Gentle, told Stabroek News that he was in the field and was not aware of any new evidence into what caused the fire. However preliminary investigations have suggested that the fire was caused by an unattended candle. Multiple sources recalled that the children, including their 13 year old brother who suffered minor scrapes and burns, would purchase candles and tea on a daily basis at a nearby shop.
It was revealed that Thomas was being investigated by the Child Care and Protection Agency for over a year. Ann Greene, the CC&PA Director told Stabroek News on Monday that Thomas has proven routinely to be a grossly negligent parent and as a result she has had five of her six children removed from her care. The CC&PA representative had told this publication that only Shania was supposed to be in Thomas’ care and that the two boys had previously been removed and placed in temporary custody.
Greene said that the primary goal of the CC&PA at the moment was to investigate whether Thomas was indeed at home when the fire occurred. The CC&PA director stated that she would be pursuing charges if Thomas was found to be out of the home at the time the fire started.
Thomas was reluctant to speak with Stabroek News and did not directly answer when she was asked if she was sleeping along with the three children at the time the fire started at approximately 0400hr Sunday. Neighbours reported that Thomas was coming home and had jumped out of a car while the house was on fire. The residents said that her left arm was burnt when she tried to break the bedroom window that the two children were trapped in.
