Child Abuse Suspect Sets Fire to Girl, Shoots Father and Himself

A man broke into the house of an 8-year-old cousin he was accused of sexually abusing, shot her and her father and set fire to the girl and her 6-year-old brother before fatally shooting himself, police said today.

Police early today found the bodies of Michael Moore, 32, dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, and Jessica Taylor, 8, dead of burns and smoke inhalation. She had been shot in the leg.

“He used coals from a wood stove burning in the house, spread the coals around the house, put some kind of flammable liquid on the kids and then set them on fire,” Police Lt. Ron Miller said.

Jessica’s father, Michael Taylor, 28, underwent surgery for a head wound today at the University of Kansas Medical Center. His 6-year-old son, Michael Jr., was in critical condition with second- and third-degree burns over 60% of his body.

Miller said Moore was named last week in a warrant charging him with two counts of sodomy and one of first-degree sexual abuse in an incident involving the Taylor girl.

Patrolman Donald Ash said Moore learned of being named in the warrant and broke into the Taylor home about 11 p.m. Wednesday while Taylor, who is Moore’s cousin, and his wife, Brenda, 25, watched television and their two children slept.

Shots were exchanged and Taylor and his wife fled the house, police said, but Moore remained inside, barricading himself in a bedroom with the children.

“The two children were then doused with some type of liquid flammable substance,” Ash said. “Moore started a fire throughout the house by spreading some coals from a wood-burning stove.”