3 children dead after fire, domestic disturbance at Paulding home

Paulding county and state officials were still investigating a “chaotic” and tragic scene at a home Saturday that left three children dead and three more with injuries.

According to the Paulding County Sheriff’s Office:

Emergency personnel received a call just after 9 p.m. on Friday, June 24, concerning a domestic disturbance and house fire in the 700 block of Woodwind Drive in West Paulding County southwest of Yorkville. The call reported that a woman was attempting to stab people inside the home while the house was on fire.

Paulding County deputies and firefighters arrived on the scene and entered the home to rescue those inside while the fire was quickly extinguished.

They discovered seven juveniles, two of whom were pronounced dead on the scene and three others who were injured and taken to Grady Memorial Hospital. The two remaining juveniles were not injured.

One of the children taken to the hospital later succumbed to their injuries and died.

Authorities found Darlene Nicole Brister, 40, on the property and took her into custody, charging her with two counts of felony malice murder. She is being held without bond.

A release from the sheriff’s office said Paulding County Sheriff’s Office detectives, Paulding County fire investigators, the GBI and state fire marshal investigators “diligently went to work to make sense of the chaotic scene.”

The sheriff’s office did not say how the children were injured or how the two initially deceased children had died. The sheriff’s office did say that additional charges are likely as the investigation continues.

Anyone with information about the incident or related to the case is asked to call the Paulding County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division Tip Line at 770-443-3047.