Autopsies scheduled for three victims of Youngstown house fire
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YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio - The grandmother of 10-year-old Corinne Gump says she wants people to see the face and know the name of her granddaughter.
Marcia Braden tells 21 News that she is too distraught to appear on camera, but provided a photograph of Corinne Gump, who died in a house fire on Powers Way early Monday.
The South Range Elementary School fourth grade student was killed along with her grandparents, 63-year-old William Schmidt and his 61-year-old wife Judith.
Autopsies will be conducted on Tuesday. The Mahoning County Coroner says at this point there is no indication of overt trauma to the victims.
The investigation continues into whether the fire was suspicious or accidental.
The 10-year-old was killed on the same day that 46-year-old Robert Seman was scheduled to go on trial for allegedly raping the little girl when she was as young as four-years-old.
The death of the alleged victim abruptly delayed the proceedings.
However, Judge Maureen Sweeney revoked Seman's bond as detectives investigate an allegation that Seman tried to bribe a potential witness in the rape case.
Prosecutors tell 21 News that Corinne's mother voluntarily was questioned by police. She was not arrested. It is not clear what the questioning was in reference to.
Police will wait until they know if the fire is suspicious before deciding if they will discuss the deadly blaze with Seman, who has been on electronically monitored house arrest since last April.
Despite the timing, investigators say they haven't found anything to suggest that the fire was a criminal act.
A K-9 unit has not detected any traces of an accelerant at the scene of the blaze and authorities are fairly confident that the fire started in the basement of the south side home. They say the investigation is still in the early stages.
“We're just taking precautions. As of yet there's nothing to indicate that this was a criminal incident,” says Youngstown Police Detective Brad Blackburn.
Counselors at South Range Elementary School are on hand for students grieving the loss of their classmate.
“This could be the first time that any peer, relative, or family member ever dealt with death or dying. This may be their first experience unfortunately,” said superintendent Dennis Dunham.
Counselors will be available again on Tuesday.
Those who knew the victims came to the scene of the fire Monday night to pay their respects.
Many people brought flowers or stuffed animals to create a small memorial that began to take shape by sundown.
“Great people never bothered anybody. They were in fact deaf. They took in their grand kids often. Just great people,” said Paul Jones of Youngstown.
The section of Powers Way at the scene of the fire remained closed to traffic Monday night.
