Mar 12, 2007 8:57 pm US/Pacific
Dad Arrested In San Mateo Blaze That Killed Kids
REDWOOD CITY (CBS 5 / AP / BCN) ―
A father whose two young sons were found dead in the charred ruins of the family's San Gregorio home after it went up in flames in 2004 was arrested Monday and charged with murder and arson, authorities said.
Charles Edward Schuttloffel Sr., 36, allegedly set fire to the home while his wife and the toddlers' grandfather were at work, San Mateo County Sheriff's Lt. Lisa Williams said.
"Detectives never gave up on this case," Williams said, though she declined to release specific details of the evidence implicating Schuttloffel.
Schuttloffel called 911 on the afternoon of May 4, 2004, to report that his sons -- Charles Edward "Charlie" Schuttloffel Jr., 3, and William Leonard "Billy" Schuttloffel, 2 -- were trapped in the burning house in the 900 block of Seaside School Road.
Their bodies were recovered inside the home after the blaze, which took about five hours to burn out and completely destroyed the house.
Firefighters at the scene said they had to restrain Schuttloffel from rushing back into the burning home to rescue his sons. He suffered burns and smoke inhalation at the time.
Authorities took Schuttloffel, a fisherman and contractor, into custody at his Half Moon Bay home on Monday morning. He was being held at San Mateo County Jail in Redwood City without bail.
A criminal grand jury indicted Schuttloffel on two counts of murder and one count of arson last week after a lengthy
investigation.
Though the elder Schuttloffel became a suspect shortly after the fire, Williams said because much of the evidence in the case had been burned that the arson investigation was tedious.
"This was a terrible tragedy," Williams said, "a terrible incident for the community."
Schuttloffel is scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday in San Mateo County Superior Court in Redwood City.
According to San Mateo County Chief Deputy District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe, if convicted, Schuttloffel could face up to life in prison, or the death penalty, should the district attorney's office choose to pursue this as a capital case.
San Mateo County Sheriff's Office officials announced Monday afternoon that a 36-year old father was arrested on murder and arson charges in connection with a 2004 San Gregorio fire that killed his two young children.
The fire destroyed the family's remote home in the 900 block of Seaside School Road. Two children, ages 2 and 4, perished in the blaze, according to the sheriff's office.
The children's mother was not home at the time of the fire, but the father, Charles Schuttloffel Sr., suffered burns and smoke inhalation and had to be restrained trying to get inside the home to find his two children, the sheriff's office reported at the time.
However, sheriff's officials said at a news conference in Redwood City on Monday that their investigation revealed Schuttloffel was responsible for the blaze.
"Detectives never gave up on this case," Lt. Lisa Williams said, though she declined to release details of any specific evidence implicating Schuttloffel, a fisherman and carpenter currently living in Half Moon Bay.
Schuttloffel made the 911 call on the afternoon of May 4, 2004 reporting that his home was on fire and that his two young children were still inside, Williams said. The fire destroyed the home before firefighters could extinguish the flames.
The remains of Charles Edward "Charlie" Schuttloffel Jr., 3, and William Leonard "Billy" Schuttloffel, 2, were later found inside the home, Williams said.
The children's mother and maternal grandfather - who lived with them - were at work at the time of the fire, according to Williams.
Though the elder Schuttloffel became a suspect shortly after the fire, Williams said because much of the evidence in the case had been burned and the arson investigation was tedious.
Last week, a San Mateo County criminal grand jury indicted Schuttloffel on one count of arson and two counts of murder.
Schuttloffel was taken into custody at 7:30 a.m. Monday without incident at his home in Half Moon Bay and was booked into the San Mateo County Jail in Redwood City.
"This was a terrible tragedy," Williams said, "a terrible incident for the community."
Schuttloffel is scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday in San Mateo County Superior Court in Redwood City.
According to San Mateo County Chief Deputy District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe, if convicted, Schuttloffel could face up to life in prison, or the death penalty, should the district attorney's office choose to pursue this as a capital case.
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