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Crime & Safety

Razing Memories of Fatal Meth House

Burned and boarded up, a home off Five Forks-Trickum Road has been constant reminder of a February 2011 fire tragedy.

The lingering reminder of a meth house explosion and fire that took the lives of three young children last year in the Mountain Park area of Lilburn is expected to be bulldozed away this week.

The Gwinnett County Police Department said in a press release Tuesday that the house located at 1197 Spring Mill Drive is scheduled to be demolished, possibly in the next few days.

Previous Patch articles on this case:

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The house, located in the Spring Mill subdivision, off Five Forks-Trickum Road, has been boarded up for more than a year.

The fire occurred on Feb. 17, 2011, killing three siblings despite the efforts of Good Samaritans to rescue the children — a 18-month-old girl, 3-year-old boy and a 4-year-old boy. 

"We have been informed that the process may begin as early as tomorrow morning [May 23, 2012] if everything proceeds according to plan, and if all permits are in place," Gwinnett Police spokesman Cpl. Jake Smith said in an emailed press release Tuesday afternoon.

"This will likely be a three-day project," he added. "Heavy demolition will likely begin tomorrow afternoon or Thursday morning.  This location has been a constant reminder of the tragedy that occurred there, and hopefully its demolition will bring some closure to the community."

Neibi Brito, mother of the children, and Joseph A. Perez were charged with three counts of felony murder and drug trafficking. A third suspect, Ivan Gonzalez, is still at large. Police said it and other law enforcement agencies has followed numerous leads on finding Gonzalez, but have come up empty.

Anyone with information regarding Gonzalez’s location should call detectives at 770-513-5300 or Crime Stoppers at 404-557-TIPS.

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