Man Killed Mother of His Kids, Left Them to Die in Apartment Fire: Police

A Florida man is facing murder charges after he fatally stabbed a mother before setting her apartment on fire with her three young children inside, according to the local police chief who said the suspect "deserves a special place in the gates of hell."

Firefighters in Daytona Beach, Florida, on Tuesday, discovered 30-year-old Den'Jah Moore and her 10-month-old son deceased inside their burning apartment. Crews rescued her two other children from the Beville Road residence, according to the Daytona Beach Police Department (DBPD).

Moore's other children, ages 4 and 5, survived the fire but are in critical condition and remain intubated at a Gainesville hospital, DBPD Chief Jakari Young said during a press conference on Wednesday. He said the father of the father of the older children, Ivey, has been arrested and charged for killing Moore, intentionally setting the fire, and leaving them and their half-brother to perish.

"Their injuries were as a result of being left to die in a fully engulfed fire," Young said.

Charles Ivey, 34, of Ormond Beach, is charged with two counts of premeditated first-degree murder, two counts of attempted felony murder and one count of arson. He is being held without bail at the Volusia County Jail.

"With what we witnessed throughout this investigation, the defendant in this incident deserves a special place in the gates of hell for what he did to this mother and these children," Young said.

Newsweek reached out via email on Wednesday night to the DBPD for comment. It was unclear at the time of publication whether Ivy had an attorney who could speak on his behalf.

Moore suffered from multiple stab wounds and the baby boy died as a result of the blaze, the chief told reporters on Wednesday.

Young said there was no clear motive for the stabbing and arson, and said the case is still under investigation. The chief said Ivy did not confess but investigators obtained traffic camera footage showing him leaving the scene around the time of the fire. Young said that Ivy also had Moore's phone.

"The evidence speaks for itself," he said.

The police chief, who has been with DBPD since April 2001, described this case as the "most horrendous and horrific crime I've experienced in my entire career."

Young praised first responders for saving the surviving children from the blaze.

"If it not for their actions, it's possible that the 4- and 5-year-olds would have passed away," he said. "Their swift actions saved their lives."

The family of the surviving children has set up a GoFundMe in support of their medical expenses as well as funeral expenses for their mother and 10-month-old brother.

"As we grapple with this heart-wrenching situation, the reality is that we need both your prayers and financial assistance to navigate the challenges ahead," the GoFundMe page reads. "The baby lost his life in the fire, and the two older children, aged 4 and 5, are currently in critical condition at Shands in Gainesville, requiring immediate and extensive medical care."