Mother charged with neglect in Gary apartment fire that killed kids

SHARE Mother charged with neglect in Gary apartment fire that killed kids
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Gary Police Department

The mother of two children who died in an apartment fire Sunday in northwest Indiana has been charged.

Kristen Alyse Gober, 33, of Gary, was charged with two counts of neglect of a dependent causing death, neglect of a dependent and possession of marijuana, according to Gary Police.

Kristen Gober | Gary police

Kristen Gober | Gary police

Gober was initially taken into custody for outstanding warrants, but was discovered to have left her three children unattended in their apartment at 5820 Forest Court in Gary for an extended period of time, police said.

During that time, the fire started in the kitchen of the home.

Kristopher Gober, 4, and Kailani Gober, 2, of the 5800 block of Forest Court, were killed when the fire broke out, police the Lake County Coroner’s Office said. Another boy, age 6, was able to escape.

The two younger children were taken to Gary Methodist Northlake Hospital where they were pronounced dead at 12:33 p.m., the coroner’s office said.

A ruling on the cause and manner of their deaths has not been released by the coroner’s office.

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