2 Fire Deaths Tied to Arson, Authorities Say

The weekend deaths of a woman and her 13-year-old daughter, discovered after fire swept through their single-story Del Mar Heights home, were the result of homicide and arson, police said Wednesday.

Dawn Ellermann, 42, apparently was killed Saturday after she discovered that her home was being robbed, according to San Diego Police Lt. Paul Ybarrondo. The exact cause of death has not been determined but the San Diego County coroner is still investigating.

“The fire was set to cover the murder and theft,” Ybarrondo said. “The mother was not alive during the fire, and all indicators are that she was probably killed.” Ybarrondo said significant levels of carbon monoxide and smoke residue, signs that a person died during a fire, were not found in the woman’s lungs.

Ybarrondo said that the daughter, Erin, “probably tried to find her mother, but was overcome by fire and smoke.” The coroner’s office has listed the cause of the girl’s death as smoke inhalation. She apparently had just returned from baby-sitting at a neighbor’s home, he said.

Ybarrondo said that “items of value” were missing from the house.

Police said that two dogs found dead in a locked bathroom had been clubbed on their heads, the blows killing one immediately and contributing to the death of the other.

The blaze started in the master bedroom, in the rear of the wood and stucco home. In minutes, the entire house was engulfed, destroying the interior back walls and the back part of the roof.