WEST CHESTER, Ohio — An attorney for a West Chester mother charged with involuntary manslaughter after two of her children died in an apartment fire said she left the house for less than 20 minutes one afternoon in September 2022.
Crews responded to the Meadow Ridge apartment complex on Sep. 17 for reports of a fire. When they arrived they found smoke coming from the doors and windows of an apartment on Aster Park Drive.
Body camera footage released by West Chester police, the first to respond to the fire, shows an officer asking if there is anyone inside the apartment, but no one answers. He kicks down the door and calls again, once again hearing no response.
Four children were inside the apartment alone, officials said. The four were rescued within eight minutes of crews arriving and taken to Cincinnati Children's Hospital in critical condition. Bryson Brooks, 4, and Alaiya Encarnacion, 2, later succumbed to their injuries.
The fire started in a bedroom. At the time of the fire, investigators said no adults were home. Fire Chief Rick Prinz said Rhiles did go to the hospital with the children.
"You have a home-alone situation and a fire breaks out a short time after the parent leaves and leaves them alone and two deaths occur obviously you can't ignore that," said Mike Gmoser, Butler County Prosecutor. "No matter how deeply you feel the pain and tragedy the mother no doubt feels it's a case that any prosecutor has to put their heartfelt feelings aside and go with what we have as the law and our responsibility to follow it."
A Butler County grand jury on Wednesday indicted Ashley Rhiles on two counts of involuntary manslaughter and four counts of endangering children. Later that night, WCPO confirmed authorities arrested Ashley Rhiles.
When she appeared in court Thursday, Rhiles' defense attorney said what happened was "incredibly devastating."
"There was no intentional harm. There was no abuse from her," said her attorney, Alex Deardorff. "She's never been ever alleged to have touched or injured any of her children. I can assert as her counsel that this has been an incredibly devastating situation for her."
Deardorff said Rhiles has had no help caring for her children. Two of the surviving kids are in foster care while another is with its paternal grandmother. When the judge said Rhiles must have no contact with her children, tears streamed down her face. Her attorney said her long-term goal is to regain custody of her kids.
Rhiles' bond is set at $750,000. If she posts bond, she would need to wear a GPS monitor. She is set to be back in court on April 18.
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