On the evening of December 12, 2022, 28-year-old Brandi Sturdivant walked out of her Greensboro, North Carolina home. Neighbors told reporters this was a regular process for Brandi. She often left her home at night, alone. There was a problem, though. She is the mother of a set of 1-year-old twin boys and a 4-year-old son. Brandi, who was on probation for a felony hit and run, would often leave the young children in the house alone, with no adult supervision. Someone called Child Protective Services and reported Brandi. Nothing happened. Unfortunately, the following morning and that fact would be fatal for the three innocent toddlers.
Around 7:55 am, the Greensboro Police Department received an assistance request from the Greensboro Fire Department. The home of Brandi Sturdivant was engulfed in flames. When firefighters put the fire out, they discovered the bodies of the 1-year-old twins and 4-year-old boy in a bedroom. The doorframe of the bedroom had been engulfed with fire and investigators said if the children had tried to get out, they would not have been able to, WXII reports.
Brandi initially lied to authorities. She told them she had been home and tried to get her children out but "barely made it out."
“I tried to go back in and get my babies, but there was no way. It was too smoky,” Brandi lied to the News & Record of Greensboro.
Authorities discovered she was lying, and an autopsy revealed the 4-year-old had cocaine in his system.
During the investigation, she attempted to flee to Virginia before being arrested. Once arrested, Brandi admitted to taking her other children to school and leaving the toddlers home alone that morning. She also admitted to leaving cocaine in the house.
Her remaining two children were placed in Child Protective Services and Brandi was arrested and charged with three counts of felony neglect and abuse of a child.
The District Attorney described the scene of the fire as “very graphic and gruesome," WXII reports.
"She should have no contact with the older children that also resided in the home and no contact with the known state witnesses at this time," Judge Kelvin Smith stated, according to court records.
Brandi faces a maximum sentence of 88 months on each count if found guilty. Homicide charges could be brought forward later. She is currently being held on a $150,000 bond.
Authorities still have not determined the cause of the fire. The home lacked heat and Brandi used a stove to heat the house. Her next court appearance is on March 16, 2023.
Comments / 238