Bodies of woman, grandsons found in burned home

WASHINGTON COURT HOUSE, Ohio — Three boys who spent the night with their grandmother so she wouldn’t be alone on Christmas died with her Friday morning as a fire engulfed her home, authorities said.

Fayette County coroner Dr. Dennis Mesker said the badly burned bodies were turned over to the Montgomery County coroner’s office for autopsies and confirmation.

They were tentatively identified as 60-year-old Terry Harris and three brothers: 14-year-old Kenyon, 11-year-old Broderick and 9-year-old Braylon Harris. Terry Harris lived alone in the single-story, ranch-style house that was destroyed by the fire reported shortly after 4 a.m. The boys lived two houses down with their parents.

“They didn’t want their grandma to be by herself on Christmas night; that’s why they spent the night there,” Fayette County Sheriff Vernon Stanforth said. “The children just adored their grandmother.”

State Fire Marshal’s spokesman William Krugh said state investigators are still trying to determine what caused the blaze.

Stanforth said the grandmother’s body was found near the front door, with the children near, so authorities think she was trying to help them get out.