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SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- City police detectives released the identities of three people found dead in a home after a fire last Saturday. They say it appears the two children did not die from the fire, which appears to have been intentionally set in the bedroom.
The fire was at 1450 N. Texas Ave. about 9 a.m. Neighbors and passersby say they banged on the doors and tried to alert people inside, but were repelled by flames and heavy black smoke. They heard smoke detectors blaring.
Firefighters found the bodies of Jassez Sager, 27, and her children, Noah Adams, 4, and Lilly Adams, 2. They saw injuries on the children unrelated to the fire, including ligature marks and stab wounds. The fire department then turned the investigation over to police.
Police detectives say the family recently moved to Springfield. Preliminary results from autopsies show the children died from injuries not related to the fire. Sager’s injuries from the fire likely contributed to her death, a city news release says. Complete autopsy results likely will take some time.
Police didn’t explicitly label the case as two murders and a suicide, but they said they’re investigating the children’s deaths as homicides and are not looking for any suspects. They believe no one else is in danger.