According to an indictment released on Monday, a lady in northern Minnesota killed two children, set a house on fire, and fled with a third child.
The 35-year-old Jennifer Marie Stately was charged with premeditated murder, murder while abusing a child, arson, murder while abusing a child, and felony child negligence. There is a “firm basis” for a not guilty plea, according to her attorney Paul Engh, who made this statement in an email to The Associated Press.
The victims’ names were withheld by the authorities, but the Minneapolis Star-Tribune revealed that they were Stately’s children, ages five and six.
According to the accusation, Stately set fire to the house after using a knife to attack the children on March 15 at the Red Lake Indian Reservation. She then fled with the third child. Her three-year-old son was the third kid, according to The Star Tribune.
A stab wound claimed the life of one of the kids. According to the indictment and a press release from U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger, the other person passed away from smoke inhalation from the fire.
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Not long after the fire was found, an Amber Alert was sent out. An hour or so later, a driver saw a car that fit the description and dialed 911. The surviving youngster, who had “visible signs of child neglect,” was discovered by Todd County deputies when they stopped Stately, according to a news release from Luger’s office.
Upon Stately’s appearance in court on Monday, a prison order was issued, with further court actions to follow.
Superintendent Drew Evans of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension stated that the case illustrated the importance of Amber alerts.
“We are grateful to the Minnesotan who acted quickly and bravely in this case, and to all Minnesotans who join in the search when a child needs them most,” Evans stated in the news release.