Fire breaks out at Joplin ‘house of horrors’
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A fire heavily damaged the Joplin home at the center of the so-called “house of horrors” child abuse case Thursday morning, killing one cat and leaving the cause under investigation.
Joplin Deputy Fire Chief Andy Nimmo said the fire was reported around 7:40 a.m. at 610 E. Pool St.
“The back half of the house was completely involved in flames when we got there,” Nimmo told Newstalk KZRG.
Firefighters brought the blaze under control in about 30 minutes.
No people were injured, but crews found one cat dead inside the home and turned it over to animal control.
The Joplin Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating the cause.
Nimmo said investigators still have several things to examine before determining how the fire started.
The home has been unoccupied by the four defendants in the criminal case because 50-year-old Shane Ross, 46-year-old Crystal Ross, 25-year-old Hannah Ross and 19-year-old Megan Ross, all of Joplin, have been jailed while their cases move through court.
Police began investigating the family Aug. 9 after a 12-year-old girl escaped from the home.
Investigators said the girl, who weighed about 50 pounds, was found wandering in Joplin wearing only a diaper and forced to sleep in a locked dog kennel.
