QUINCY, Ill. (AP) – Two western Illinois residents have been indicted on involuntary manslaughter and endangering the life of a child charges in the death of two children.
The Herald-Whig in Quincy reports 8-year-old Toby Brewer and his sister, 5-year-old Emma Kramer, died in an Oct. 12 fire.
Marilyn Kramer and William Brewer were each indicted Jan. 17 by an Adams County grand jury. Kramer is the mother of both children, and Brewer is the father of Toby Brewer.
The indictment alleges the couple used “damaged and hand-spliced extension cords to provide electricity from a neighbor’s residence. The pair placed the cords under a (mattress) causing the fire” and the death of the children.
Adams County State’s Attorney Gary Farha said the indictment is the first step in holding those responsible accountable.
Kramer is being held in the Adams County Jail. Brewer was arrested by the U.S. Marshals Service in Mississippi. Bond has been set at $25,000.
