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Mother of children killed in Pahrump fire arrested, charged with manslaughter
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Police Booking Photo
Sharon Broadhead has been charged in the deaths of four people in a fatal Pahrump home fire that took place in February, 2011.
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Sharon Broadhead has been charged in the deaths of four people in a fatal Pahrump home fire that took place in February, 2011. Courtesy Photos
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Updated: Feb. 13, 2011 | 11:40 p.m.
Sharon Broadhead, whose three children and a friend died in a mobile home fire in Pahrump last week, was arrested Saturday on manslaughter and child abuse charges, the Nye County Sheriff's Office announced.
Broadhead, 29, was booked on $35,000 bail. She faces four counts of manslaughter and three counts of child abuse by neglect causing death, and is expected to make an initial court appearance Monday.
Scott Lewis, chief of the Pahrump Valley Fire-Rescue Service, said the investigation showed it was an "apparent accidental fire possibly ignited by a juvenile resident.'' He declined to say exactly where the fire started, but did say Broadhead was in the mobile home when it started.
Nye County Sheriff Tony DeMeo said Broadhead and her husband, Anthony, were called to a meeting at the sheriff's office at noon Saturday. She was arrested about 90 minutes later by Detective Joe Close and Mike Kolpak of the Nevada State Fire Marshall's office.
A sheriff's office news release did not address the cause of the fire, but indicated Broadhead was charged because "supervision and previous fire starting within the residence by the children occurred and preventive measures from the mother was not taken."
DeMeo said he doesn't anticipate any charges against Anthony Broadhead, who was estranged from his wife and living elsewhere.
Authorities said that several times the children heavily damaged the double-wide mobile home where they lived for just five months. Child Protective Services had contacted the family following an earlier fire, DeMeo said.
"The lack of supervision was not an isolated incident to the morning of the fire, but routine to the fact that 2 children destroyed an entire room with putting holes in the walls and starting fires on at least 2 occasions prior,'' the sheriff's office wrote. "This was admitted during interviews of a pillow being set on fire and another incident of a piece of paper inside the residence and the mother knowing about it.''
One of the children had previously been caught sneaking a lighter from Broadhead's purse, the release said.
The cause of the fire was not addressed in the news release, though police noted that Broadhead's lighter was not found in her purse after the fire.
Killed in the Wednesday morning fire were Broadhead's three children: Elliot Broadhead, 18 months, Zachary Broadhead, 4, and Brandon Michael Smith, 5. Firefighters pulled the three children out of the burning home, but they were pronounced dead a short time later at Desert View Regional Medical Center.
A family friend, Crystal Leann Smiley, 24, also died in the fast-moving fire. She was dialing 911 when she succumbed to the heavy, black smoke, authorities said.
Broadhead suffered smoke inhalation and cuts on her hands from broken window glass, Lewis said last week. A firefighter suffered burns on his neck, and two sheriff's deputies and a neighbor who tried to rescue the children were treated for smoke inhalation after the fire.
Anthony Broadhead could not be reached for comment Saturday.
Smiley's sister, Anna Huyck, declined comment. Earlier, she said her family was not in contact with Sharon Broadhead, and that a "sore point" remains "unclarified" involving her escape from the fire. She did not elaborate on the nature of the sore point.
Pahrump Valley Times Editor Matt Ward contributed to this report. Contact Assistant City Editor James G. Wright at jwright@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0355.
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Sydney -
Your argument would make sense if this was the first time a fire in the home had occurred. However, it was NOT. The kid(s) clearly had an interest in fire. No, you can't control what your children are given at school, but you CAN control what they bring into the home. I check my children's backpacks and pockets EVERY day. One would think this woman would do the same if she believes the hazards were being brought into the home from the outside. No excuses...especially when it (I repeat) has happened before. And the cell phone...yes, I suppose using it to dial 911 would make sense (duh), but the picture was taken well after the incident. You're telling me that she couldn't let go of the phone then? After an ordeal like that, you couldn't pick me up from the ground...I'd be a wreck, certainly not giving a thought to the cell phone clutched tightly in my hand. Some people just shouldn't be parents. Plain and simple.
momo - how could she supervise a SCHOOL ATTENDING child while they were at school? They could have gotten the lighter or matches from a friend at school. Why is everyone assuming the lighter/matches belonged to the mother? Maybe they belonged to the babysitter? Should the mother have to babysit the babysitter to lest she be charged with the babysitters negligence? As far as her clutching her cell phone? If I couldn''t get to my kids and had to go outside to find another way I would grab my cell phone too! And so would every one of you. How else would you call 911? The kids were in another room - the phone was right there! Its not a "she grabbed her phone but not her kids" situation.
Fred - her looks have NOTHING to do w/this but I do agree with you that this MAY BE a case of neglect; either that or endangerment. Certainly NOT manslaughter! Also, the "juvenile" who is apparently being blamed for this, is a school aged child - could they not have gotten a lighter or matches just as easily OUTSIDE of the home? Should whomever didn't keep their lighter or matches up to where the child got a hold of them, or school buddy who's parents don't keep their lighters up, who brought the lighter to school and gave or had it stolen by this "juvenile" - should all of them be arrested for manslaughter? Weren't they just as negligent?
My gosh she is hideous, its a wonder she was impregnated 3 times.
NEGLECT plain and simple. Other sources are saying the 'juvinile' was a habitual fire starter and the 'house' had been previously lit on fire. SHE is responsible for this, no one else.
You can't watch your children 24/7, but you ARE responsible for removing any obvious dangers from their immediate reach (weapons, household cleaners, LIGHTERS, etc.). Kids are curious by nature. It's our job as parents to make sure that their curiosity doesn't cause injury or death (whenever possible). This was NOT the first time fire was an issue the home. Did she NOT learn anything from previous incidents? She deserves to be charged.
P.S. The first photo published of this woman showed her clutching her cell phone. I thought that very odd at the time.
This women already paid the ultimate price for her alleged manslaughter crime. She just lost her children and friend so put and to add fuel to her unfortunate experience she gets charged with manslaughter. "He that is without sin among you let him cast the first stone at her." John, 8:7. I believe if proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt or not, she already received enough punishment.
This is a ridiculous waste of time. Yea, judging from her looks she is a white trash horrible mother. But she did lose 3 kids in that fire, and I doubt even she wasn't heartbroken by that. The charges will never stick.
This story is heartbreaking and my heart goes out to a mother who just lost her 3 kids and is grieving and suffering enough - I'm glad we have a justice system that throws these people in jail on top of that. Makes me want to go handcuff my kids to their beds because how am I suppose to supervise them when I’m asleep?
The only thing in these comments that I can agree on is that I would have died trying to rescue my kids. I would not have left the house w/o them. BUT - thats easy for me to say - this didn't happen to me. Like the one commenter said - until you are there, breathing in the smoke and having your clothes melt to your skin - you don't know what you would do. Its very possible that she could NOT get to them from her room, so she went thru her window to get out and try to find another way to get to them.
I'm sure the commenters on here DO NOT and COULD NOT supervise their children 27/7. Do your children never play in their room? Or a different room then their siblings? Your suppose to be in 3 rooms at once? Take them all with you when you use the bathroom? The story said she was SLEEPING when the fire broke out. No, she wasn't sleeping in the middle of the day & leaving her kids unsupervised - and even if this was the case - she had a BABYSITTER living in her home. She was obviously making sure her kids were supervised but the babysitter was asleep too. But this was morning - and she was still asleep. Now, unless you have a baby who is trapped in their crib and can't escape until they cry & wake you up - how many of you commenters have young kids who wake up before you and maybe come get you or you find them awake playing maybe??