Lee Moran posted:Lily Marie Hartwell, 14, allegedly set bleach and rum-soaked linen alight in the Port Richey residence before walking to a nearby park bathroom and going to sleep. Investigators noted that she regularly read about the fictional horror character online.
Lily Marie Hartwell, a 14-year-old from Port Richey, Fla., allegedly set her house on fire early Thursday after an argument with her family.
A Florida teen obsessed with the fictional horror character Slender Man set fire to her own home as her mom and brother slept inside, police said.
Lily Marie Hartwell allegedly soaked a towel and bed sheet with bleach and rum before setting them alight in the family's Port Richey property early Thursday morning.
The 14-year-old, who was reading an ebook about soul eaters after an earlier argument with her mother over household chores, then walked to a nearby park bathroom and went to sleep.
Her mom and 9-year-old sibling miraculously escaped the devastating blaze after being woken by a smoke alarm at 1:45 a.m.
Realizing her daughter was not outside with them, her mom ran back inside - but was driven back by the heat.
Firefighters then risked their lives to search for the Chasco Middle School student in the burning building, but concluded she was not actually there.
Some 17 laddermen then took several hours to knock down the flames.
Later, Hartwell reportedly sent her mother an apologetic text message which read: "Mom, I'm so sorry. I don't know why I did it. Did any of get hurt?"
The teen was found, arrested and charged with one count of arson and two counts of attempted murder, reports The Suncoast News.
Matt Geyser, the father of 12-year-old Morgan Geyser who is accused of stabbing another girl 19 times, posted photos to his Instagram account that show his daughter's drawings of 'slenderman.'
Investigators claim she was fixated with the fictional Slender Man character - who is the subject of numerous online stories involving murder and sinister acts.
In her journal, which was marked "Keep Out," she reportedly wrote: "If this keeps up there will be no safety in this house."
She was allegedly also a frequent visitor to websites detailing gruesome acts committed by the figure, who is believed to have influenced a case in Wisconsin where two 12-year-old girls are accused of stabbing a classmate.
"There's a clear direction," Pasco Sheriff Chris Nocco told The Suncoast News.
"She's involved in reading these things," he added.
Neighbors said they were "stunned" by the news, claiming that Hartwell was a "typical teen" who'd never done anything to raise alarm.
"It's a tragedy," Sandy Gilbert, who lives across the street, said. "I hate to see something like this happen to such a nice family."
bleach and rum-soaked linen
catchphrase
