Mother Of Twins Murders Daughter, 4, Sets House On Fire To Cover Up Crime

A Georgia mother who was arrested after one of her twin daughters was found dead and the other injured in an apartment fire last week has admitted to killing the 4-year-old girl and setting the house on fire to cover up the crime, police said Monday.

Nicole Ashley Jackson was arrested on charges of malice murder and felony murder along with two counts each of first-degree cruelty to children and criminal attempt to commit murder, East Point Police Department said in a news release.

Emergency officials responded to a report of a house fire at an apartment in East Point on Nov. 23 and found heavy smoke coming from the building. After putting out the fire, the rescue officers found the body of the 4-year-old girl in a bedroom of the upstairs apartment unit.

Officials continued the search as they received information that the victim's twin sister must also be inside the apartment during the fire. The child was eventually located and shifted to a hospital with burn injuries, Law & Crime reported.

Based on evidence from the scene, investigators determined the fire was intentionally started and took Jackson into custody the following day.

"Our suspicion was heightened that foul play was involved due to the acceleration of the fire. We know the suspect used some type of unknown accelerant, which explains why the fire spread so quickly," East Point Police Chief Shawn Buchanan said in a press conference Monday.

"East Point police detectives interviewed the mother. She disclosed to us that one of her children was already deceased and she started the fire to conceal the crime. This is an open investigation into a tragic situation, but we're going to work with the district attorney's office to make sure that the mother, Nicole Jackson, never gets out of jail," he added.

Meanwhile, officials have not revealed the details of how the victim was murdered. The injured child has been shifted to the custody of her grandmother and is recovering from burn injuries, reports said.

Jackson would also face charges of arson, according to reports. She is currently being held in the Fulton County Jail.