A North City, Missouri, man has been arrested after being accused of fatally shooting his girlfriend and her daughter before setting their home on fire.
Michael McNair was charged with two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of armed criminal action, one count of unlawful possession of a firearm and one count of first-degree arson.
McNair, 40, was arrested after allegedly killing his girlfriend, Latasha Brown, and her 9-year-old daughter.
Both victims were found inside their home on December 21, 2025, with gunshot wounds to the head, according to court documents viewed by Us every week. Brown, 45, and her daughter were taken to a hospital for treatment, where they later died.
In addition to shooting his girlfriend and her daughter, police said McNair also set fire to the home the three of them lived in. Authorities said McNair disabled smoke detectors inside before the house was set on fire.
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Court documents indicate the fire was caused by arson, according to the outlet. Officers examined the smoke detectors that had been removed and found that the fingerprints on the devices matched those of McNair.
Police said McNair and Brown had been dating for several months before the incident, although not much else is known about their relationship.
After police found Brown and her daughter, police tracked McNair and Brown’s phones and discovered they were going to the same locations. Police also found a device installed in Brown’s missing car, which they were able to trace to an abandoned house in Poplar Bluff.
Once police located McNair, he allegedly admitted that he was in a relationship with Brown and that they lived together in the house. He said they fought the night Brown and her daughter were killed, and he also admitted to driving Brown’s car to Poplar Bluff that same night. McNair said he went there because he had family and associates living there.
Before McNair was located, the U.S. Marshals Office became involved in an attempt to find him.
Deputy Chief of US Marshals James Tapp said several people helped McNair during his escape.
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“He was going through addresses all over Poplar Bluff. We had information and then the snowstorm hit, which also took us a few days to get there safely because it’s not in the St. Louis metro area,” Tapp told reporters. KSDK.
Tapp added that authorities made several attempts in early January to arrest McNair, although they all failed.
Brown was remembered by his sister, Lisa Thomasfollowing his death.
“There are no words that can fully describe the pain we live with every day,” Thomas said, according to KSDK. “LaTasha was a loving sister, a devoted mother, and a woman whose presence brought warmth and laughter into every room. Paige was a bright, joyful child with her whole life ahead of her – a child who deserved to grow, to dream, and to be safe. Their future was stolen from them, and from all of us who loved them.”
McNair is currently being held without bail. It is unclear whether he pleaded guilty or retained an attorney.
