Investigators: Mother Of 3 Kids Killed In Del City Fire May Have Been On Meth

Adrianna Iwasinski, News 9

DEL CITY, Oklahoma -- Court papers have revealed investigators believe the mother of three young children killed in a motor home fire was using methamphetamine at the time of the fire, and the kids may have died as a result of child neglect.

Christopher Dunham, 4, Crystal Dunham, 3, and Kaylee Dunham, 1, were killed in the fire on Jan. 4. Their mother, 25-year-old Stephanie Dunham, told fire inspectors the fire started when a floor heater fell over. She said she tried to put the fire out but couldn't, so she told all three children to go to the back of the motor home and "stay there and not move."

Dunham said she left the motor home to get some water and when she returned, the fire was out of control. That's when she called the fire department. She was taken to the hospital with burns on her hands, face and arms.

After Dunham was taken to the hospital, investigators questioned her husband, Chris Dunham. When they asked him if his wife was currently using any type of drugs, he said that both he and his wife used methamphetamine, and he also smoked marijuana. When asked if his wife used meth the morning of the fire, Dunham said it was possible.

Investigators obtained a search warrant to test Stephanie Dunham's blood to determine if there were drugs in her system at the time of the fire. Those samples are now being analyzed by the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation.

Read the affidavit for the search warrant

"The test will confirm whether or not there were any drugs or alcohol or other items inside her bloodstream that should not be there," said OSBI spokesperson Jessica Brown. "This is not unusual at all. We do between 4,000 and 5,000 tests like this per year for law enforcement across the state."

When police searched the burned motor home, they found a glass pipe and a metal pipe designed for smoking meth. They also found a straw, scales and pipes they say could be used with marijuana.

Investigators also discovered evidence that conflicted with Stephanie Dunham's story. The bodies of her two oldest children were found in the rear floor area of the motor home, but the youngest child was found in the front driver's seat of the vehicle.

Investigators said based on the evidence so far, felony acts of child neglect may have been committed. Both the Del City police and fire departments confirm their investigation is still ongoing.