Police say the overnight blaze followed a domestic dispute and ended with an arrest after a chase.
NEW ORLEANS — Three children died after a house fire just after midnight on Oct. 18 in the city’s Plum Orchard area, and their father was arrested hours later, authorities said. The blaze gutted a home on America Street as firefighters and medics worked to reach the children and stop the flames.
The case has quickly become a homicide investigation with second-degree murder and aggravated arson counts filed against 29-year-old Joseph Washington, according to police. Officials said the fire came minutes after a 911 call from the children’s mother, who reported threats to burn the house. The New Orleans Police Department assigned homicide and child abuse detectives, and the Orleans Parish coroner is reviewing the causes of death. The episode has drawn widespread grief in the neighborhood and renewed attention to domestic violence cases that escalate without warning.
Fire crews were dispatched shortly after midnight to the 4900 block of America Street and arrived to find the structure heavily involved. First responders performed CPR on a five-year-old girl and a seven-year-old boy and transported them to a nearby hospital, where both were pronounced dead. While crews knocked down hot spots inside the house, they located a third victim, a three-year-old boy, who was pronounced dead at the scene. The mother, who was away from the residence at the time, had called 911 at 11:55 p.m. reporting that her ex-husband intended to set the house on fire, authorities said. “I hear the kids screaming,” she told a dispatcher during the call. Within hours, officers circulated a description of a suspect vehicle as investigators canvassed the block for video and witnesses.
Detectives said surveillance footage from a nearby home showed flames rising from the rear of the residence and a person leaving before driving away. The children’s grandfather pleaded publicly for Washington to surrender as officers searched multiple locations. Midmorning, a black Dodge Charger linked to Washington was found partially submerged near the Mississippi River levee in Gretna. Around the same time, officers took Washington into custody after a pursuit in which he jumped from an interstate overpass and was injured, police said. He was treated at a hospital and later booked on three counts of second-degree murder, three counts of cruelty to juveniles, and one count of aggravated arson. The coroner will determine final causes and manners of death. Officials have not released the children’s names. Investigators said the case stemmed from a domestic dispute.
Records show the fire occurred in the Plum Orchard neighborhood of New Orleans East, a mix of single-family homes and small apartment buildings bordered by Chef Menteur Highway. House fires in the city are most common overnight, when residents are asleep and detection can be delayed, according to prior department briefings. In recent years, officials have emphasized working smoke alarms and domestic-violence intervention when threats escalate into property damage or arson. Wednesday’s scene drew a steady stream of neighbors throughout the day, some bringing balloons and candles, as city leaders offered condolences and school administrators prepared grief counseling for classmates.
Police said detectives will continue interviews, review additional camera footage, and await coroner findings. Prosecutors will assess the evidence for formal charging in criminal court once investigators submit the case file. If indicted on second-degree murder, Washington would face a mandatory life sentence if convicted under state law. Police said briefings would be scheduled when autopsy results are available. Any pretrial hearings would be set after an initial court appearance, and detectives noted they are still gathering tips and documents related to the domestic dispute reported before the fire.
By afternoon, charred wood framed a collapsed roofline, and the smell of smoke lingered over America Street. “I can’t imagine the horror of this,” a neighbor, Bertrand Williams, said, describing the small memorial that began to grow on the front lawn. The children’s grandfather, Troy McDonnell, stood near the scene during the search and urged his son to surrender. Friends and family added flowers and stuffed animals as crews cleared debris and sealed the property.
The investigation remains open as detectives await lab reports and the coroner’s determinations. Officials said the next update would follow once autopsies are complete and the charging paperwork is finalized.
Author note: Last updated December 26, 2025.