In a chilling case unfolding in Missouri, authorities have arrested a man accused of committing a brutal attack on a mother and daughter, subsequently setting their home ablaze. This grim incident has left the local community in shock.

Michael McNair, aged 40, faces serious charges including two counts of first-degree murder and armed criminal action. Additionally, he is charged with unlawful possession of a firearm and first-degree arson.

The tragic events took place in late December 2025 at a residence on Floy Avenue in the northwestern part of St. Louis. The victims, identified as 45-year-old LaTasha Brown and her 9-year-old daughter, Paige Buckner, lost their lives in the attack.

On December 21, 2025, firefighters discovered the victims in their home, which was still engulfed in flames. Both were urgently transported to a nearby hospital. Sadly, Paige succumbed to her injuries the following day, and her mother passed away shortly after, as confirmed by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department.

Investigators revealed that smoke alarms within the house had been tampered with and bore McNair’s fingerprints, as detailed in court documents accessed by Spectrum News. It was also determined that McNair was in a relationship with Brown at the time of this harrowing incident.

As the investigation continued, both the defendant’s and the victim’s cellphones pinged in the woman’s SUV, which was traveling away from the house minutes after the fire began, police said. Later, only Brown’s phone stopped moving at an intersection roughly a mile south of the residence while the vehicle continued on.

The slain woman’s SUV would eventually turn up in the small city of Poplar Bluff, which is located roughly 150 miles due south of St. Louis. A search of the vehicle turned up blood inside, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol. Meanwhile, McNair’s cellphone traveled to the same area, according to a probable cause statement.

On Dec. 26, 2025, charges were filed in the case. But the defendant might have had something of a head start, authorities say.

On Dec. 27, 2025, New Madrid County Deputy Lakesha Miller allegedly tipped off McNair by texting a man she knew: “U better tell your peeps they coming to their house,” Cape Girardeau-based CBS affiliate KFVS and St. Louis-based NBC affiliate KSDK reported. The deputy was placed on paid leave after being charged with one count of hindering the prosecution of a felony earlier this month.

Miller, for her part, insisted the message was intended to “push out” the suspect so they could be caught, according to court documents.

On Jan. 8, law enforcement descended on an address in an unsuccessful effort to take McNair into custody — finding vehicles leaving as they arrived, according to the U.S. Marshals Office.

The trail from that abortive capture, however, led to the defendant’s arrest on Wednesday, a U.S. Marshals spokesperson said.

“He was bouncing around addresses all over Poplar Bluff,” U.S. Marshals Assistant Chief James Tapp told KSDK. “We did have information and then the snowstorm kind of hit and that led to a couple of days as well to safely get down there since it’s not in the St. Louis metro area.”

Once in custody and given his Miranda rights, the defendant allegedly admitted to being in a relationship with Brown and to arguing with the victim the night before the shooting and fire, authorities claim.

“This was a heartbreaking case,” St. Louis Police Chief Robert Tracy told Spectrum News. “Woman and her 9-year-old child lost their lives to a senseless act of violence. This arrest represents an important step towards accountability, but it does not lessen the pain or the loss caused by this crime.”

McNair is being detained with no bond.

Brown’s sister remembered the victims fondly in a statement provided to KSDK.

“There are no words that can fully capture the pain we live with every day,” Lisa Thomas wrote. “LaTasha was a loving sister, a devoted mother, and a woman whose presence brought warmth and laughter into every room. Paige was a bright, joyful child with her whole life ahead of her — a child who deserved to grow up, to dream, and to be safe. Their futures were stolen from them, and from all of us who loved them.”

A GoFundMe was started by Thomas to raise funds for the family’s funeral services.