Indiana Mother Sentenced to 16 Years in Son’s Fire Death, Plea Reveals Troubled Account
SHELBYVILLE, Ind. (AP) – Kirstin D. Bowers, of Shelbyville, Indiana, has been sentenced to 16 years in prison after pleading guilty to neglect of a dependent resulting in death, stemming from a house fire in June 2025 that killed her seven-year-old son, David Bowers Jr. The plea agreement, reached nine months after the blaze, also includes 14 years of probation following her release and mandatory adherence to any prescribed medication, according to reports from WTHR.
The fire, which ravaged the family home, allowed three of Bowers’ other children to escape. However, the investigation quickly focused on the mother’s shifting accounts of the events leading up to the tragedy. Initially, Bowers told authorities she had fallen asleep while smoking a cigarette, waking to find her bed ablaze.
This claim was immediately challenged by her husband, who stated the couple did not smoke indoors. Neighbors further complicated the narrative, recounting a heated argument days prior to the fire during which Bowers allegedly yelled at her husband, expressing a desire for him and everything he loved to “die.”
Authorities also discovered Bowers had conducted online searches for the penalties associated with child manslaughter in Indiana shortly after the fire. Her husband reported a recent change in her behavior, including discontinuing prescribed medication and beginning methamphetamine use.
The timeline presented by Bowers to investigators was also inconsistent. She claimed to have been walking around the neighborhood shortly before the fire, returning home and falling asleep with a cigarette. However, when she called 911 to report the fire, she hung up without speaking to a dispatcher and did not call back for 15 minutes. Firefighters arriving on the scene found the house fully engulfed in flames and discovered David Jr.’s body in the living room. Police noted she exhibited no signs of smoke exposure.
The case drew attention after concerns were raised by both her husband and neighbors, prompting the investigation into the circumstances surrounding the fire. The plea brings a measure of closure to a tragic case that highlighted issues of domestic conflict and substance abuse.