Prosecutors say the couple were under the influence when the December blaze began at their mobile home.
MURRIETA, Calif. — Two Murrieta parents have been charged months after a fire tore through their mobile home and killed their two daughters, with prosecutors alleging both adults were under the influence of methamphetamine and cannabis when the blaze broke out.
The case has drawn renewed attention in Riverside County because investigators now say the December fire was not only deadly, but preventable. Authorities allege Stacey Hales, 46, and Adam Keenan, 43, were criminally responsible for the blaze that killed 12-year-old Emma Keenan and 11-year-old Abby Keenan, along with several pets, after a joint investigation by Murrieta police and fire arson investigators.
Police and firefighters were sent to the family’s home in the 41690 block of Knight Drive at about 4:42 a.m. on Dec. 20, 2025. When crews arrived, officials said the mobile home, a carport, three vehicles, two outbuildings and a large pine tree were fully engulfed in flames. Fire personnel spent about 45 minutes knocking down the fire before responders were able to safely search the property. Inside, they found the two girls and multiple household pets dead. Authorities said Hales made it out on her own. Keenan and an older daughter escaped the burning home.
Charges were announced after investigators spent nearly three months piecing together how the fire began and whether the adults in the home had taken steps to protect the children. Murrieta police said the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office planned to file multiple felony counts against both parents. Hales was arrested on felony allegations that include reckless burning causing death, reckless burning of an inhabited structure, child endangerment, animal cruelty and being under the influence of a controlled substance. Keenan was arrested on child endangerment and drug-related counts. Police said Hales was later out of custody on $160,000 bail, while Keenan was booked into the Cois Byrd Detention Center.
According to court documents described by CBS Los Angeles, prosecutors allege Hales was using cooking oil on an outdoor propane stove to make tortilla chips shortly before the fire started. The documents say she failed to turn the propane off before falling asleep. Prosecutors also allege she had a repeated history of starting fires while cooking with oil, and that the outdoor stove had been placed under a wooden carport near combustible materials and an overhanging pine tree. One arrest warrant said Hales committed a dangerous and reckless act that showed conscious disregard for human life.
Investigators also focused on what Keenan knew before the fire. Prosecutors allege he was aware of Hales’ cooking practices and allowed the continued use of the outdoor propane stove. The same records say both adults knew there were no working smoke detectors inside the home. Court papers further allege the front door was blocked by stacked dog crates and stored items, creating another obstacle as the fire spread through the rear of the structure. Those details have become central to the criminal case because they go to whether the parents created conditions that made escape harder for the children.
The legal process is now moving from investigation to court. Police said Keenan was arrested March 13, 2026, and local reporting said he was expected in court Tuesday. Hales was described as out on bail and awaiting a court appearance. Investigators have said the case remains under investigation, even as charges are filed, meaning additional evidence, witness testimony and court filings could still shape how prosecutors present the deaths of the two girls and the loss of the animals in the fire.
The case stands at a painful point for the Murrieta family and the community: the criminal allegations are now public, but the broader court fight is just beginning, with Keenan’s scheduled appearance and further action by prosecutors expected next.
Author note: Last updated March 17, 2026.