A 44-year-old man, Shawn Fails, has been taken into custody in connection with a deadly apartment fire in DeKalb County that resulted in the death of his ex-girlfriend, a 48-year-old woman named Stephanie Wiley, and injured her son. The tragedy, which unfolded early Monday morning at The Hills at Fairington Apartments, has left the community reeling and three families displaced, as reported by FOX 5 Atlanta.
Caught during a traffic stop by the Chambers County Sheriff's Department in Lanett, Alabama, Fails is expected to be extradited to DeKalb County Jail where he will face charges of murder, aggravated assault, and arson. According to the DeKalb Fire and Rescue release, the fire servicemen arrived to find "heavy flames coming from a second-story apartment window" with reports of residents attempting to quickly escape the unsafe building. In a statement obtained by 11Alive, officials described that the woman succumbed to significant burns and smoke inhalation, and the man, believed to be her son, sustained a serious injury jumping from the second-story window.
Authorities confirmed that Fails was the ex-boyfriend of the victim, Stephanie Wiley, who was trapped on the second floor of her apartment as the fire tore through the structure. Neighbors reported the chilling sounds of Wiley's screams around 1 a.m. before she was later found unresponsive. A neighbor, Freda Scott, told FOX 5 Atlanta, "I could hear her screaming and hollering for her life. We see her in the window and then the screaming stopped. I haven’t been able to sleep—it’s in my head, and it’s really sad." The Red Cross is currently aiding those affected by the blaze.
Investigative agencies have yet to publicly confirm a motive or detail the relationship between Fails and Wiley prior to the incident. Ring doorbell video footage has added a piece to the puzzle, capturing a man—presumed to be the suspect—seemingly igniting the fire, with additional details from a neighbor's video showing the same individual hastily running away, extinguishing flames from his own apparel. Alfreda Soct, whose doorbell captured the footage, related the incident to 11Alive, though it remains unclear if the man identified in the video is definitively Fails.
The DeKalb County Police Department continues to investigate the case and is urging anyone with information to step forward to assist in the ongoing investigation.
