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NY couple charged in vacation rental fire that killed Cape mother and daughter
Meredith and Dennis Darcy face manslaughter charges for not properly equipping their rental property with functioning smoke detectors, officials said.
Last October, a Cape Cod teacher and her 1-year-old daughter died in a fire in an upstate New York vacation rental home. Now, authorities are charging two New York residents with manslaughter in connection with the incident.
Meredith Darcy, 55, and Dennis Darcy, 57, both of Hastings-on-Hudson, were recently arrested, according to New York State Police.
Officials say that the Darcys did not equip the home with functioning smoke detectors, resulting in the deaths of Shannon Hubbard, 35, and her young daughter Maggie.
“A comprehensive investigation determined that the residence, which was being rented by the victims, was not properly equipped with functional smoke detectors, in violation of New York State fire, building, and residential codes,” police said in a statement.
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Investigators also determined that the fire originated in the chimney flue and was not intentionally set.
The fire occurred on Oct. 14 at around 10:40 p.m. in residence on Clinton Hollow Road in the town of Clinton, New York. Hubbard was staying there with her husband, John, their 3-year-old son, and Maggie. John is a police officer in Dennis.
Hubbard and her two children were trapped on the second floor when authorities arrived. All four family members were transported to local hospitals with fire-related injuries. Those sustained by John Hubbard and the boy were not life-threatening, officials said at the time.
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Shannon Hubbard was a preschool teacher at Chatham Elementary School. She grew up in Orleans and and lived in Brewster with her family.
“Shannon’s greatest love was her family. Her son Jack and her daughter Maggie June were the most precious things in the world to her. She was a devoted mother who found the perfect balance between being the cool fun mom to one who taught her children manners and responsibility with patience and a smile,” her family wrote in an obituary.
Meredith and Dennis Darcy were arraigned in New York. Bail was set at $50,000 cash, $100,000 secured bond, or $200,000 partially secured bond for each. Their next court hearing is scheduled for April 7.
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