On Tuesday, three children were allegedly killed in a house fire in New Orleans by a man from Louisiana.
A day after the fire that claimed the lives of his three children, aged 8, 5, and 3, Joseph Washington Sr., 29, was detained in New Orleans, according to a statement from the police.
Police said the mother of the children contacted 911 at 11:55 p.m. and reported that she was at work but that the children’s father had threatened to set their home on fire.
The mother can be heard telling the operator that someone is on the phone threatening to burn the house on fire and asking them to hurry up in the audio of the conversation broadcast by NBC station WDSU of New Orleans.
A fire was reported shortly after the 911 call, according to authorities. The 3-year-old was discovered dead in the burning home, according to authorities, while the 8-year-old and 5-year-old were rescued but later passed away at a hospital.
According to authorities, Washington is charged with three counts of second-degree murder, three counts of second-degree cruelty to a juvenile, and one act of aggravated arson.
According to jail records, he was in detention on Wednesday night. It wasn’t immediately obvious if he had a lawyer.
Prior to being taken into custody, he leapt from an overpass, and according to New Orleans police, he was transferred to a hospital for a possible injury assessment.