On June 5, 2025, a tragic house fire in Arlington, Indiana, claimed the life of 7-year-old David Bowers Jr., leading to the arrest of his mother, Kirstin D. Bowers, a 31-year-old resident of Rush County. Authorities have charged Bowers with one count of neglect of a dependent resulting in death, a Level 1 felony, and three counts of neglect of a dependent, Level 6 felonies, following allegations that she left her four young children inside their burning home while walking several blocks away.

The incident occurred at a single-family residence in the 2000 block of North County Road 700 West. Rush County Sheriff’s Office and firefighters responded to a 911 call around 2 p.m., finding the house fully engulfed in flames. Three of Bowers’ children, aged 4 to 6, managed to escape the blaze on their own, but David Jr. was unable to get out and was pronounced dead at the scene despite heroic efforts by volunteer firefighters from multiple departments.

Bowers initially told investigators she fell asleep while smoking a cigarette in bed, waking to find the bed on fire. She claimed she attempted to rescue her children one by one but was unable to save David due to thick smoke and intense flames. However, a timeline developed through surveillance footage, witness statements, and digital evidence contradicted her account. Authorities determined that Bowers had left the residence and walked several blocks away during the suspected time of the fire. Notably, she made two 911 calls: the first, which she hung up without speaking, was placed while she was two blocks from the home, and the second, reporting a fire with entrapment, came 15 minutes later after she returned.

Further investigation revealed additional inconsistencies. Bowers showed no physical signs of being near a fire, such as soot or smoke odor, despite her claim of attempting a rescue. A neighbor reported hearing Bowers yell, “I f—ing hate you and I hope everything you love dies,” in the days before the fire, amid a contentious relationship with her husband, marked by frequent arguments and property destruction. Court documents also disclosed that Bowers sent an angry message to her husband the day before the fire, threatening to contact Child Protective Services, and had recently stopped taking her medication while allegedly using methamphetamine.

A week after the tragedy, Bowers conducted internet searches on her phone, including terms like “Manslaughter sentence Indiana,” “Voluntary manslaughter,” “Reckless homicide sentence,” and “Manslaughter of a child sentence Indiana.” When informed of his son’s death, Bowers’ husband immediately told police, “Arrest her,” and filed for divorce on July 9, 2025. Neighbors described Bowers as “crazy” and noted that the children were often left home alone.

Bowers was arrested on July 25, 2025, and is currently held in Shelby County Jail on unrelated invasion of privacy charges, with a warrant issued for the neglect charges. The Rush County Sheriff’s Office described the incident as a “tragic event” for the Arlington community, commending the bravery of the firefighters who risked their lives attempting to save David Jr. The investigation remains ongoing, with authorities awaiting additional search warrant results for phone data. Bowers is being held without bond as the case proceeds in Rush Circuit Court.