Mother of children who died in fire denied bond

By Katie Leslie

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The mother of three children who died in a Lilburn house fire Thursday was denied bond Saturday.

Neibi Brito, 22, whose children died in what police suspect was a fire caused by chemicals used in methamphetamine production, is being held without bond, pending a preliminary hearing this Wednesday, according to an article on wsbtv.com. She is being held at the Gwinnett County jail on charges of trafficking in methamphetamine.

Gwinnett County police have filed felony murder and arson charges against 26-year-old Ivan Gonzalez, who lived in the home. Authorities say Gonzalez fled the scene and has not been captured.

Police said the children -- Isaac Guevara, 4, and Ivan Guevara, 3, and a girl, 18-month-old Stacy Brito -- were living amid toxic and highly volatile chemicals when something sparked the fatal fire. Four pounds of meth burned in the fire, police said. Investigators also found 4,555 grams of liquid methamphetamine, about one pound of "finished" meth and $192,155 within the walls of the home in the 1100 block of Spring Mill Drive.

Bystanders used a ladder to extricate the children from the second floor of the burning home, according to Gwinnett fire Capt. Tommy Rutledge. But, by Friday morning, the children died of severe burns and smoke inhalation.