Tumbling Shoals woman arrested Tuesday after child dies in November fire

A pair of handcuffs are shown in this undated photo. (Los Angeles Police Department via AP)
A pair of handcuffs are shown in this undated photo. (Los Angeles Police Department via AP)

A woman was arrested Tuesday after a camper fire in Tumbling Shoals resulted in the death of a child in November, the Cleburne County sheriff's office said.

Diana Welch, 34, of Tumbling Shoals was taken into custody Tuesday and charged with first-degree endangering the welfare of a minor, a news release from the sheriff's office said Wednesday.

She was taken to the Cleburne County jail on a $300,000 bond, the release said.

Authorities responded to a camper fire on Houston Road just before 9 a.m. on Nov. 20, the release said.

"When Deputies arrived, the camper was on fire, and a female on scene was yelling that her baby was still inside," the release said.

Unsuccessful attempts were made to rescue the child, authorities said. The child's body was sent to the Arkansas State Crime Laboratory for analysis.

The release from the Cleburne County Sheriff's Office did not immediately identify the child or disclose if there was any relation between Welch and the child.

An affidavit written by Detective Justin Oliver stated incidents that occurred which constituted a reasonable cause for Welch's arrest.

The Cleburne County Sheriff's Office detective arrived at 154 Houston Road in response to a camper fire with a possible infant still inside, the affidavit said.

"As the fire was suppressed, I observed the area around the RV and beside the front passenger tire I located the severely burned remains of Allen Davis Jr.," Oliver wrote in the affidavit.

The affidavit did not identify how old Davis was.

Oliver also wrote that Welch stated she rescued two infant children -- twins -- from the RV and took them to the residence next to the camper. She told the detective that she went back to the camper but could not go back inside due to flames coming from the back window, the affidavit said.

The investigation is still ongoing, the sheriff's office said.


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