FORSYTH, Ga. — A Monroe County teen has been charged with killing her special-needs brother and an unidentified person that may be her mother in a fire Thursday morning.
Sheriff Brad Freeman told 13WMAZ that Candace Walton, 16, has been charged with arson, theft by taking, and two counts of murder.
Those charges stem from a fatal fire at a home on Old Zebulon Road around 3:30 a.m. Thursday.
Emergency units got to the scene and found the home fully engulfed, and later found two bodies.
The bodies were originally identified as Gerald Walton, 21, and Candace Walton, 16, but the sheriff’s office said hours later, after Candace had been found, that the female body had been misidentified.
Law enforcement said Gerald's mother, Tasha Vandiver, was missing from the home along with her white Chevrolet Malibu.
Freeman said US Marshals pulled Candace over in McCracken County, Kentucky, in her mother's stolen car.
Ellen Criswell says she taught Gerald Walton, 21, at Mary Persons when he arrived in 2012.
According to her, Walton had a learning disability, but loved everyone he met. She was shocked to learn about his death but says he can all teach us a valuable lesson.
"He just loved life. He would never say anything negative...just to be around him, he was just happy all the time, and I think that is probably what we need to take away from that. Love one another no matter what," said Criswell.
WHAT OTHER PEOPLE ARE READING
STAY ALERT | Download our FREE app now to receive breaking news and weather alerts. You can find the app on the Apple Store and Google Play.
STAY UPDATED | Click here to subscribe to our Midday Minute newsletter and receive the latest headlines and information in your inbox every day.
Have a news tip? Email news@13wmaz.com, or visit our Facebook page.