A Georgia father allegedly killed his two baby daughters when he lit the car they were in on fire during an argument with his wife Saturday, state authorities said.
Adan Tzoyohua Panzo, 36 was charged with the murder of his daughters, 1 and 3 years old, after first responders rushed to put out the vehicle fire in front of a home in the small community of Preston, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said.
After the flames were extinguished, the two girls were found dead inside the vehicle, the state agency said.
Panzo was arrested after an investigation indicated he allegedly set the car on fire during a “domestic dispute” with his wife, authorities said.
“My guys were told on the way to the call that there was two children in the car.” Webster County Fire Chief Cody Brown told WALB. “They got on scene, pulled lines, and extinguished the fire.”
Panzo was charged with felony murder, malice murder and arson, and is booked in Webster County Jail, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said as the probe continues.
“It’s really sad to hear that a 1-year-old and a 3-year-old lost their life,” a local told WALB.
“They’re not even out in the world just yet. They’re not even able to understand or comprehend what was going on. I couldn’t imagine what they were feeling during that situation.”
Preston is an unincorporated community in the southwest part of the Peach State near the Alabama border with a population around 1,000.