A man accused of killing his girlfriend and her daughters aged nine and one when he burned their home down has been seized by police.
Accused Kyle J. Tyler, 32, had at first been interviewed and let go by police after the horror blaze in Topeka, Kansas state, USA.
But he was later arrested and charged with three counts of first-degree murder, as well as aggravated arson and aggravated child endangerment.
The victims were named as Genny L. Fitzpatrick, 30, Peyton L. Tyler, nine, and one-year-old Kourtney K. Tyler by state officials.
It is unclear if their killer is the girls’ father, despite sharing the same family name.
He is currently being held without bond at the Shawnee County Jail.
When firefighters arrived at the blaze on 20th January just before 5am, the house was already engulfed in flames, according to local media.
Four people were reportedly inside the home when the fire broke out, the authorities have said.
Topeka Public Schools confirmed the nine-year-old girl’s death in a statement to parents, saying: “It is with tremendous sadness that we share Peyton Tyler, a fourth-grade student at Lowman Hill, passed away this morning as a result of a fire at her home.
“Peyton has attended Lowman Hill since first grade. Peyton was a student that had many friends and she is known for her positivity and her joyful spirit. She was loved by many and will be missed by all of the Lowman Hill students and staff”
A GoFundMe campaign has also been set up to help the victims’ family with funeral expenses. At the time of writing, it had gathered nearly USD 6,000 in donations out of a USD-30,000 goal.
