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An Escambia County resident in Florida was taken into custody following allegations of deliberately igniting a blaze, as reported by the local sheriff’s office.
The suspect, 27-year-old John Henry Walston, Jr., is accused of starting the conflagration at the Grand Oak Mobile Home Park located on Flaxman Street in Pensacola. After firefighters extinguished the flames, officers from the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office made a tragic discovery — the bodies of two children inside the burned home.
The young victims were identified as 9-year-old Vayden Orum and 7-year-old Rayden Smith. Authorities revealed that both children were deceased prior to the fire, and distressingly, one had suffered sexual assault.
Chip Simmons, an officer with the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, reported that Walston managed to flee the scene and later sought medical attention at a nearby hospital.
Additionally, another child and an adult were hospitalized, receiving treatment for injuries related to the fire.
WEAR reported that the other adult has been identified as the mother of the two deceased children. Witnesses saw her running into the blazing mobile home in an attempt to save the children.
“She went into the trailer trying to get them. That’s a mother’s love,” said John Wenzel, a neighbor.
“I mean, the trailer was totally involved inside. That’s why she’s in the Mobile Burn Center. She went inside the house trying to get her kids, but it was too hot. They finally got her out of there.”
The father of Smith and stepfather of Orum, Tyler Smith, told WEAR News that he had known Walston for years and that he owned the home.
Smith could not believe Walston or any human could do this.
“How can you expect any human being to do this?” Smith asked. “Let alone an adult to two kids.”
WEAR asked Smith if he had anything else to say, and he spoke to Walston, saying, “John, I hope they give you hell in prison,” he said. “Because you better be glad they found you before I did.”
Police also found the family dog dead in the home.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Department listed Walston’s charges as:
- Two counts of premeditated murder
- One count of sexual assault on a victim under 12
- One count of arson
- One count of animal cruelty
Walston is being held without bond in Escambia County Jail. He is scheduled for his first court on November 26.
Check back for updates.
[Feature Photo via Escambia County SO]