Two In Custody, Charged in Fire That Claimed Life Of Mansfield Girl

On June 27th, 2019 the Mansfield Division of Police arrested 18 year old Roscoe D. Hunter II (see below photo) and charged him with “Aggravated Arson” (F-1) in reference to the fatal arson fire that took the life of 3 year old Chloe Williams on June 26th, 2019. He was served with the felony warrant earlier this morning and remains incarcerated at the Richland County Jail. Mr. Hunter became a person of interest early on in the investigation due to investigative efforts by Detectives as well as several tips received from the community.

During the investigation, officers were able to identify an additional suspect, a 13 year old juvenile male, as being involved in the incident. He was located and charged with “Arson” (F-4) and is incarcerated at the Richland County Detention Center. Due to his age, we are not identifying him at this time. All charges are felony offenses and are being handled by the Richland County Prosecutor’s Office. As with any active investigation, additional arrests are possible as the investigation is ongoing.

The Mansfield Division of Police and the Mansfield Fire Department would like to “thank” those individuals who provided tips and information that helped lead to these arrests. Mansfield Fire Chief Steve Strickling, also, expressed his appreciation for those who reached out to assist investigators as well as the assistance provided by the State of Ohio Fire Marshal’s Office and the “Ohio Blue Ribbon Arson Committee” which helped to encourage community tips.

Mansfield Mayor Timothy Theaker wanted to express his condolences to Chloe’s family on their loss as well as his appreciation to the investigators for their quick apprehension of those involved in this tragic crime. He, also, wanted to “thank” the community for their involvement in assisting in the investigation. It takes a community effort to solve crimes like these and the city of Mansfield did not disappoint us.

Due to the active investigation as well as the age of one of the suspects, there will be no further details released at this time. We are asking that anyone with additional information that they feel may be helpful, to please contact one of the below listed investigators. Again, we cannot stress enough the importance of the community’s assistance in solving these types of crimes. Thank you.

Investigators:

Sgt. Matt Loughman (419) 755-9761 (Mansfield Division of Police)

Detective Rick Clapp (419) 755-9470 (Mansfield Division of Police)

Lt. Dan Crow (419) 755-9817 (Mansfield Fire Department)