There is something about fire which seems to to make it irresistible for children to play with. That’s why disposable lighters have special protection. Things get really twisted when it’s the mom who’s the pyromaniac, talking the child into burning down the family home for insurance money. Twice. The second time, she was somehow filmed doing it.
Let’s play with fire
Want to have some fun, let’s play with some fire, one pyrotechnic minded Georgia mom suggested. The way news reports put it, she “forced” her stepchild to start a blaze “inside their home on at least two separate occasions in a plot to collect insurance money.”
State arson investigators are smart enough to figure it out.
Courtney Sellers is 34-years-old and lives in Screven, Georgia. According to court documents, she “allegedly coaxed her child to burn down their Pine Circle home on July 14.”
The the Jesup Fire Department got called in to put out the blaze. Soon the Georgia Bureau of Investigation was issuing statements.
As related by Fire Commissioner John King, “based on the footage and interviews conducted, investigators determined that Ms. Sellers compelled her stepchild to start a fire inside the home for insurance money on two separate occasions.”
What footage and how they got it isn’t immediately clear. They aren’t relating how much the insurance claims were but the national average runs around $77,000.
Arrested after investigation
The responding crews from Jesup noticed some suspicious things about the July 14 incident so they asked the State Fire Marshal’s Office to open an arson investigation. On July 18, they rounded Sellers up and hauled her in for booking.
There was audio to go along with the video evidence which was somehow “captured by the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office on the day of the July 14 fire.” They might have had her under surveillance.
Sellers was promptly “charged with arson, insurance fraud, aggravated assault and cruelty to children.” She won’t be burning down the house for a while because, at the bare minimum, she’s looking at nine years in prison and the hot mama is currently on ice at the Wayne County Jail.
Reports aren’t noting the age of the child but they’re going to be stuck with fire related issues the rest of their life over this one.
After setting her house ablaze, Sellers set up a GoFundMe account. “Hey everyone last night Tommy, Courtney and kids had a devastating home fire. They have lost everything, even money they were saving from Courtney’s shirt making.”
“This is another tragedy that has hit this family this year as they were still grieving the loss of their precious daughter, Brynslet. They appreciate any help financially, in prayers or by donation.” It “had $1417 collected” but now “states that it is no longer accepting donations.“
