Cause of Grassy Lane mobile home fire undetermined, report says

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (Fort Wayne’s NBC) - The Allen County Coroner’s Office released an update on the mobile home fire that left four children dead in April.

Matthew Damron, 10, Johnnie Mann-Goff, 5, Jefferson Goff, 3, and Rosalynn Goff, 2 all died from smoke inhalation and thermal burns, the coroner’s office said back on April 25. The cause of the children’s death is pending investigation.

The children died in a fire at 4705 Grassy Lane, in Dupont Estates. Four adults were able to escape the home, saying they were not able to get the children out of the mobile home. The adults were identified as 30-year-old Jessica Mann, 24-year-old Audrey Kistler, 17-year-old Samuel R. Barnet, and 18-year-old Travis J. Garrison.

Then on Wednesday, the coroner’s office said the Indiana State Fire Marshal’s office issued a report on the investigation. They say, in part, that “the evidence gathered as a result of this investigation, the area of fire origin is in or around the area of a recliner. Due to the amount of damage created by the incident, the definitive cause of the fire could not be proven to an acceptable level of certainty”.

Because of this, the manner of death for the children is undetermined.

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