Investigators searched the burned remains of a Tucker home where a mother and two children died for any arson indicators, prescription medications and diaries or journals, a search warrant affidavit released Monday states.
Brent Patterson was the only survivor in the Feb. 9 fire that killed his wife, Kathy, and the couple's daughters, ages 9 and 12, in their Pointer Ridge home, according to the Gwinnett County fire department. The cause of the fire has not yet been determined.
But investigators suspected arson because of inconsistencies in Patterson’s accounts of what happened, the affidavit states.
“The conflicting statements given by Mr. Patterson could not explain the fire behavior, fire patterns, or the speed of the fire spread,” the affidavit states.
Investigators also searched the house looking for accelerants and flammable liquids, as well as signs of financial distress and evidence of what medications the victims might have taken.
The day after the fire, Patterson told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution he had heard an odd noise and went downstairs to check it out.
“When I opened the front door, the house exploded,” Patterson said.
In interviews on two different days, Patterson allegedly told investigators two different accounts of the moments leading up to the fire. In an initial interview, Patterson said he was upstairs while he and his wife were putting their daughters to bed, the affidavit states. In a later interview, Patterson said all four family members were asleep when the fire started.
Patterson previously told The AJC he was unsure whether his wife and daughters were awake.
“I hope to God they were asleep,” Patterson said the day after the fire. “I don’t know. I have to hope.”
Toxicology reports are pending on Kathy Patterson and the girls. Testing on items removed from the home were also being conducted.
Gwinnett fire officials have said that inconsistencies in Patterson's interviews "are not an indication of culpability."
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