WAYNE COUNTY, WV (LOOTPRESS) — A man has been arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree murder and one count of first-degree arson following a devastating fire in Wayne County that claimed the lives of a mother and daughter.
On Monday, December 16, 2024, Troopers from the West Virginia State Police Wayne Detachment responded to a residence on Spring Valley Drive to assist the State Fire Marshal’s Office with a double fatality fire. The Ceredo and Kenova Fire Departments had earlier extinguished the blaze, discovering the bodies of two victims in the charred remains of the structure.
The victims were transported to the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office in Charleston for identification and autopsy. On Tuesday, December 17, 2024, the autopsies confirmed the cause of death to be homicide. The victims were identified as 34-year-old Britney Brown and her mother, 57-year-old Erma Brown, both of Huntington, WV.
An investigation conducted by Troopers from the Wayne and Huntington Detachments, along with the State Fire Marshal’s Office, led to the identification of Britney Brown’s fiancé, 42-year-old Joshua Russell Morrow of Huntington, as the primary suspect.
On Thursday, December 19, 2024, following an extensive investigation by the WVSP Wayne, Huntington, and Hamlin Detachments, along with the State Fire Marshal’s Office, warrants were issued for Morrow’s arrest on charges of two counts of first-degree murder and one count of first-degree arson.
In the early hours of Friday, December 20, 2024, at approximately 2:00 a.m., Troopers from the Wayne and Huntington Detachments, supported by the Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) and the State Police Special Response Team (SRT Bravo Team), located Morrow at an apartment on 23rd Street in Huntington. He was taken into custody without incident.
Morrow is currently held at the Western Regional Jail pending arraignment. The investigation remains active and ongoing as authorities work to uncover additional details surrounding the tragic events.
