FLOYD
By William More
Daily Journal
TUPELO – A Baldwyn man wanted for questioning for a Tuesday morning fire turned himself in to Prentiss County authorities Wednesday night.
Lee County Sheriff Jim Johnson said a friend took David S. Floyd, 28, to the Prentiss County Sheriff’s Office around 8 p.m.
Local authorities want to know what Floyd knows about a Tuesday morning fire that injured Floyd’s three children and their 26-year-old mother.
“We know he was at the house shortly before the fire was reported,” said Johnson. “He is not charged with anything in connection with the fire at this time. We know he was at the house earlier that evening. He is only a person of interest right now.”
Floyd is also wanted by authorities for a probation violation.
Firemen were dispatched at 2:38 a.m. Tuesday to a house fire on Highway 370 near Brice’s Crossroads. The mother had escaped with her two younger children. She went to a neighbor’s house to get them to call 911. A 7-year-old girl was trapped inside a bedroom and was later rescued by firefighters.
Johnson said the girl received severe burns to her arms and face and was transported to Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital in Memphis where she was in critical condition Wednesday.
“The biggest concern is the amount of time she spent inside the house where the temperatures reached up to 500 degrees,” said Johnson. “Doctors are worried about possible damage to her lungs.”
“From what we were told, she has second- and third-degree burns,” said Fire Marshal Jonathan Owens. “The house was a total loss.”
While investigators are still searching for the cause and origin of the fire, they believe there was “human involvement.”
The state fire marshal’s office has posted up to a $5,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in connection with this fire.
william.moore@journalinc.com