Stefanie Sanders
A Tuscola, Illinois, woman faces charges following an investigation into a March 1 fire that killed the woman s infant daughter and boyfriend.
Stefanie L. Sanders, 26, was arrested Monday in Charleston, Illinois, by Illinois State Police on a warrant obtained by the Edgar County State s Attorney s Office.
State police said Sanders was arrested on two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of involuntary manslaughter, one count of aggravated arson and one count of residential arson,
Edgar County Coroner Scott Barrett ruled the deaths to be homicides.
An autopsy conducted at Terre Haute Regional Hospital on March 2 by forensic pathologist Dr. Dele Adeagbo revealed that the cause of death for 35-year-old Michael J. Phipps was a combination of thermal exposure, carbon monoxide inhalation, and smoke inhalation.