Inset: Nicole Taylor (West Virginia State Police). Background: The rural road where the house fire occurred in Harpers Ferry, W.Va. (Google Maps).
A West Virginia woman is behind bars, accused of killing her husband and daughter before leaving them both to burn in a house fire, Mountain State law enforcement says.
Nicole Taylor, 55, stands accused of first-degree murder, arson, and use or presentation of a firearm during the commission of a felony over the deaths of 56-year-old Robert Taylor III and 21-year-old Cynthia Taylor, according to the West Virginia State Police.
The incident occurred in late September 2025 at a residence on Blackberry Lane in rural Harpers Ferry.
In the initial aftermath of the structure fire, the defendant escaped the house with significant burn injuries and was rushed via helicopter to a regional burn center, state police said.
Responding officers, however, also found the woman's husband and daughter dead inside. A lengthy investigation ensued.
Now, state investigators believe both Robert Taylor and Cynthia Taylor died well before the fire consumed the family's home.
Police say the defendant's husband was shot multiple times and died from gunshot wounds. Investigators did not say how they believe the defendant's daughter died.
Authorities were called out to the residence around 9 a.m. on the day fire, according to a report at the time by The Journal. Authorities noted that two other adult children of the Taylor family were treated for minor injuries after the blaze, but survived.
By October 2025, the investigation turned criminal, The Spirit of Jefferson reported.
The West Virginia State Fire Marshal's Office found the fire to be an act of arson, according to state police. A separate probe by state troopers connected the defendant to both the shooting death of Robert Taylor and the fire itself, authorities said.
Nicole Taylor was arrested on Tuesday and is being detained in the Eastern Regional Jail with no bond, according to law enforcement.
Law&Crime reached out to the West Virginia State Police for additional details on this story but the agency did not immediately respond.
Along with the state police and fire marshal, the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) took part in the monthslong investigation.