Father Accused of Deliberately Setting House on Fire, Killing His Sons

A father has been accused of deliberately setting his home ablaze, resulting in the deaths of his two sons.

According to police, 43-year-old Dustin Fields used accelerants to ignite the fire, fully aware that his sons were inside the residence. The incident occurred on April 30 at his home in Franklin County.

When emergency responders arrived, they discovered the bodies of 13-year-old Bently Fields and 15-year-old Rylan Fields, along with the family’s dog.

Fields was arrested last week and charged with first-degree arson. During a court hearing on Monday, May 5, he pleaded not guilty and requested temporary release to attend his sons’ funeral. The judge denied the request, maintaining his bond at $2 million.

“I miss my boys,” he reportedly told the court.

When asked about owning property during the hearing, he also allegedly said, “I do but it just recently went up in a ball of flames, so there’s nothing but grass and a garage at the moment.”

An arrest report revealed that Fields was taken into custody after investigators, with the help of a K-9 unit from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, detected accelerants on his shoes and in multiple areas of the home — including the spots where the teenagers’ bodies were found.

The report accused Fields of using “accelerants to set fire to his residence knowing that the home was occupied by his two juvenile sons.”

Chief Dwayne Depp of the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office told PEOPLE that Dustin Fields was not present when first responders arrived at the scene but appeared shortly afterward. He allegedly provided investigators with “conflicting information,” prompting the Sheriff to note that additional charges could be filed as the investigation continues.

A GoFundMe created by a friend of Fields’ wife — who is not the biological mother of the two victims — revealed that she had recently filed for an emergency protective order against Fields on behalf of herself, her son, and her step-sons.

Another GoFundMe, launched by the victims’ sister, offered further insight into the lives and personalities of Bently and Rylan Fields.

“Bently was the youngest, only 13. He was supposed to graduate middle school in just a few weeks. He loved to fish and even made YouTube videos about it,” she wrote.

“Rylan was more tech-savvy than anything really. He even had his own stocks and fixed phones and computers everywhere; he was only 15.”

She also shared that a viewing and funeral service for Bently and Rylan Fields is scheduled to take place on Friday, May 9.