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Barbara Miller, 59; Jessica Ann Miller, 25; and Brian Scott Navarre, 28, were charged with multiple counts of endangering the welfare of children on Oct. 25 for "the negligent death of an infant," the Lebanon County District Attorney's office details in press release.
The fire broke out in the second floor of the Navarre home located in the 1300 block of Brandywine Street in Lebanon at 9:52 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 13, as Daily Voice previously reported.
"While Brian was at work his home caught fire with his 4 children (all 5 and under) and their grandmother inside," Amber Bouillon wrote in a GoFundMe she organized for the family.
At just 1-year-old, Noah Navarre, "was unable to be rescued," Bouillon wrote; he was pronounced dead at the scene according to officials at a press conference the day of the fire as we reported at the time.
"Navarre worked overnight shifts, and the children required care. Navarre knew [Barbara] Miller could not ascend or descend stairs to care for any of the children inside," the DA wrote in the release. "Navarre left for work on the evening of the fire with the infant still in a bedroom on the uppermost floor of the structure."
The 4-year-old son, "located a lighter, utilized the lighter, and started the fire which ultimately took the infant’s life," the DA wrote.
The children's mom, Jessica Miller, "was supposed to arrive at Navarre’s home and provide care. She failed to arrive, failed to make childcare arrangements, and instead left her young children in the helpless care of their grandmother," the DA explained.
The rescue efforts were also seriously hampered by “deplorable condition, heavily cluttered and dirty,” home, as police wrote in the affidavit. A cabinet was barricading the front door, which the family regularly used to prevent the children from escaping whenever their grandma was babysitting.
Something the community and officials found repulsive was that the mom, Jessica Miller, "made numerous online pleas for financial assistance from the local community. She purported herself to be the true victim of the fire," according to the DA's release. The GoFundMe raised $17,275 for the Navaree/Miller family.
“All three defendants knew the condition of the home and the limitations of Barbara Miller, yet they continue[d] to raise the children this way on a regular basis,” police wrote in the affidavit.
Behind the fire, a pattern of neglect was discovered during the investigation. The children were regular undersupervised or not supervised at all, according to the parent's interviews. There were also no dental records for the children.
District Attorney Pier Hess Graf said:
“But for the gross neglect and failure to provide adequate care for their children, this baby would still be alive today. That infant died in one of the most painful and terrifying of manners – by fire unable to call for help or help himself. A parent’s one true duty is the protection of his or her child above all else. These Defendants woefully failed and deserve every penalty our system can impose."
Barbara Miller was released from jail after posting $100,000 bail. Navarre and Jessica Miller are being held at the Lebanon County Prison in lieu of $250,000 bail each.
All three have a joint preliminary hearing scheduled before Magisterial District Judge Maria Dissinger on Thursday, Nov. 7.
Anyone with information relevant to this investigation should contact the Lebanon County Detective Bureau and/or the Lebanon City Police Department.
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