Tragedy Strikes: Father Accused of Setting House Fire, Killing Three Children in New Orleans

In a devastating turn of events, three children lost their lives in a house fire in New Orleans early Wednesday morning. The fire was allegedly ignited by their own father following a heated domestic dispute, according to authorities.

The New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) issued a press release recounting the sequence of events. It all began when a woman placed a desperate call to the police at 11:55 p.m. on Tuesday night. She reported that the father of her three children was making dangerous threats about setting their home ablaze.

Just ten minutes later, a fire was reported at the family's residence, prompting a swift response from law enforcement and firefighters. They arrived at the scene at 12:20 a.m., but the house was already engulfed in flames.

First responders managed to rescue an 8-year-old boy and a 5-year-old girl from the blaze. Tragically, despite efforts to save them, both children were pronounced deceased approximately an hour later. A third child, a 3-year-old boy, was discovered lifeless inside the home.

The children's mother, who was at work during the incident, was not present at the time of the fire.

The suspect, identified as 29-year-old Joseph Washington Sr., was swiftly marked as the prime suspect in the fire and the deaths of his three children. Following a manhunt, Washington Sr. was apprehended by the police.

He now faces multiple charges, including second-degree murder. Authorities also found Washington Sr.'s vehicle abandoned and partially submerged in the Mississippi River, further implicating him in the incident.

Later on, police received information that Washington Sr. was in another vehicle on the I-610 Eastbound at the Elysian Fields exit. Despite attempting to evade capture by jumping off an overpass, he was eventually detained by law enforcement. The charges against him include three counts of second-degree murder, three counts of second-degree cruelty to a juvenile, and one count of aggravated arson.

The coroner has not yet released the cause of death for the children.

At a press briefing, New Orleans interim Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick expressed her profound sorrow over the situation, labeling the children's deaths as "tragic and senseless." She vowed that the individual responsible for this horrific event would be held accountable for their actions.