Parents of child killed in arson fire who were wanted for cruelty to children arrested on Appalachian Trail

The parents of a child who died in an arson fire who were later wanted for cruelty to children have been captured by police.

The Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office Fugitive Unit arrested William Linn McCue and Carina Wisniewski McCue.

The investigation led the detectives to the Appalachian Trail. The McCue’s were arrested and taken to the Gwinnett Police Department where they were interviewed by Special Victim Unit detectives.

William and Carina have both been charged with cruelty to children and held without bond.

The couple has been on the run since May, shortly after one of their children allegedly set fire to their house, killing his 10-year-old sister and destroying the family’s home.

During the arson investigation regarding the fire, given the conditions of the house and the location where the deceased juvenile victim was found, investigators determined that the children might be victims of cruelty to children. Therefore, a separate investigation was initiated against the parents.  

Arson and SVU investigators discovered unsanitary and dangerous living conditions in the home.

According to the Gwinnett County Police Department, investigators found a makeshift bed with bedding in the bathtub in the bathroom where the 10-year-old girl was found dead. Arson and SVU investigators also found improvised camping-style toilet seat buckets and nonusable toilets with septic tanks not working or full. 

The kitchen sink had been re-plumbed for the water from the faucet to go into a five-gallon bucket sitting on the floor. In addition, the showers and the bathtubs did not appear to be functioning.

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