Mother Charged With Manslaughter In Fire Deaths Of Daughters

A mother faced charges on Thursday in connection with her two young daughters’ deaths in a December fire.

Valerie Windom was formally charged on two counts of endangering children and two counts of involuntary manslaughter following the Dec. 18 fire at her apartment, located at 2794 Grosse Point Dr.

Investigators said that Windom was drunk while she was cooking food on the stove and fell asleep.

According to investigators, flames traveled through the roof of the building to several units. At least seven other children and several adults escaped the flames.

Firefighters said that the flames were so large that other companies were called to assist them in knocking the blaze down.

Windom’s sister, Rickeya Shirley, said that Windom’s indictment did not come as a surprise to the family but that they were still devastated over what happened.

“It’s crazy,” Shirley said. “She’s hurt right now. Very hurt.”

Family friend Loletta Fryer said that she was still trying to wrap her head around the fire that killed Windom’s 5- and 7-year-old girls.

“It’s still unbelievable to me,” Fryer said. “I mean, I know they’re gone, but it’s still fresh. Like they’re still here or something. Their spirits will always be there, where that empty hole is, because they didn’t deserve that.”

Fryer said that she wished the situation was different.

“I don’t think she deserves to go to jail. I don’t,” Fryer said. “She needs help, because putting her in jail’s not going to fix (anything). Her girls are not coming back.”

Three units damaged in the fire were deemed "uninhabitable" by authorities.

Investigators said that the fire cost $175,000 in damages.

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