MEMPHIS, TN – Authorities now know the results of autopsy performed on two Memphis children who died after they were left home alone when the house caught fire, according to the Shelby County Medical Examiner’s Office.
Three-year-old Ladareon Dunn died inside the home from smoke inhalation and carbon monoxide poisoning. His brother two-year-old Catareon Dunn later died at Le Bonheur Children’s Medical Center from complications of smoke inhalation and carbon monoxide poisoning, said Shelby County Medical Examiner Dr. Karen Chancellor.
The fire happened on Effie Road in South Memphis, Monday, October 19, 2009.
Police say the investigation revealed that both boys were left home alone for hours while their mother, Melanie Dunn, ran errands and went shopping for clothes. While fire investigators tried to figure out what started the fire, the boys' aunt, Marilyn Wilson, stunned reporters at the scene by admitting that she and Dunn left the boys at home by themselves, not once, but twice on Monday.
So far, Melanie Dunn has not been charged. District Attorney Bill Gibbons says he's waiting on some crucial pieces of information before taking any action. His office wants the full final report from the police, the medical examiner and the fire department. Investigators are still trying to figure out the cause of the fire.
