On Tuesday, November 21, 2023, in Daytona Beach, Florida, firefighters responding to an apartment fire discovered a 30-year-old woman fatally stabbed and her three children critically injured. The youngest child, an infant around 11 months old, was found in a crib with cardiac arrest and died in the hospital.
The mother was identified as Den’Jah Moore.
At around midnight, emergency services were dispatched to a blaze at the Countryside Apartments on Beville Road. Upon arrival, they found Moore with multiple stab wounds, ruling out the fire as her cause of death. The discovery triggered a homicide investigation.
Two children, aged four and five, were rescued from the inferno and rushed to a hospital. Their condition remained uncertain as medical staff fought to stabilize them.
The nature of the fire’s origin, with two points identified in the apartment, suggests it was intentionally set.
The Daytona Beach Police Department has charged Charles Leon Ivy, 34, the father of at least two of Moore’s children, with two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of attempted murder, and arson. Traffic cameras and possession of Moore’s cell phone helped link Ivy to the crime scene.
A Daytona Beach police officer was treated for smoke inhalation.
Investigators continue to piece together the events leading up to the fire and the stabbing.
The case remains open and active, with authorities appealing to the public for any information that could lead to a resolution.