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.
House Fire That Caused Death Of Infant, Dad Ruled Murder; Mother Arrested
KEY POINTS
The accused and two other children managed the escape the fire
Police have requested anyone with information to contact them
The deaths of a 35-year-old man and his two-month-old daughter in a house fire at Edgar County, Illinois, have been ruled homicides.
The police have arrested Stefanie Sanders, 26, in connection with the murders of Michael and Nettie Phipps Monday, reports WCIA.
Sanders is the infant’s mother and had been in a relationship with the father, said Edgar County Coroner Scott Barrett while adding that more information about the murders would be announced soon.
Effingham, IL / Effingham Radio
Stefanie L. Sanders
Edgar County, IL -(Effingham Radio)- On May 3, 2021, the Illinois State Police (ISP) Division of Criminal Investigations (DCI) Zone 5, arrested Stefanie L. Sanders, 26 year old female of Tuscola, Illinois, for two counts of First Degree Murder (Class X Felony), two counts of Involuntary Manslaughter (Class 3 Felony), one count of Aggravated Arson (Class X Felony) and one count of Residential Arson (Class 1 Felony).
On March 1, 2021, the ISP DCI, Zone 5 was requested to investigate a residential fire with fatalities that occurred in the 100 Block of Water Street, Vermilion, Illinois. On May 3, 2021, as the result of a thorough criminal investigation and with the assistance of the Illinois State Fire Marshal’s Office, Edgar County State’s Attorney’s Office, and Edgar County Coroner’s Office, Sanders was taken into custody in Charleston, IL.