Page 3 - Florida Sentinel 1-29-16 Edition

Features
Intentional Fire Destroys All Of Family’s Possessions
Deputies Find Missing Child Unharmed
BRIANNA FELTON And TIFFANY M. MARTELLI
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
Ms. Elegetta Salmon
credits the Holy Spirit with her decision to leave their home last week. “The Holy Spirit spoke to me and I told my mother, we’ve got to get out of here. It was about 2 a.m. We all jumped in the car and left. About two hours later, our neighbor called and said our house was on fire.”
When her mother, Ms. Enethenia Lango- Salmon arrived at her home at 8208 N. 9th Street, it was surrounded by emergency personnel. When the activity subsided, none of the fam- ily’s possessions were saved, they lost everything.
The Tampa Fire Depart- ment received the emergency call at 2:28 a.m. When fire- fighters arrived, they found the single story, concrete block home fully engulfed.
Damage to the home and its contents was estimated at $90,000.
Ms. Enethenia Lango- Salmon cried as she talked about the home where she has lived for the past 25 years. She raised both of her daughters at the home.
Ms. Lango-Salmon said through tears, “If it were just me, I could take it, but my daughter and three grand- children were living with me and all of their things are gone. We are all living in a small apartment.
“There is nothing left. I have to start all over, I have lost everything. But, I am just glad that we left there and none of us were injured.”
Ms. Lango-Salmon
said she was threatened by her live-in boyfriend last
Ms. Enethenia Lango- Salmon, center, is shown with her daughters, Ms. Elegetta Salmon, and Ms. Chandra Valdez, sister, Ms. Vassie Guy- ton, and grandchildren, Chris- tian, Chamira, and Chantelle.
Thursday. “I called the police because I didn’t want anyone to get hurt. The police came and told him to get his pos- sessions from the house. He got his things and left,” she said.
A widow, Ms. Lango- Salmon, 61, said her home was paid for, but, it was not insured.
Since the fire, Ms. Lango-Salmon said she is grateful for the assistance she has received. The Red Cross provided some assis- tance, her Hillsborough County co-workers of 30 years have also helped out, and her daughters’ co-work- ers and friends have helped as well.
Ms. Lango-Salmon
said that because of the fire, people she hasn’t talked with in years have reached out to her. “I talked with a friend I hadn’t heard from in 30 years. And, my sister and I are closer. She lives out of
town and we weren’t as close as we would like to be,” she said.
An account has been es- tablished to help the family. Anyone wishing to make a donation can visit www.Go- FundMe.com/2jkwgyz8.
Jason Penny,
spokesperson for the Tampa Fire Department said, “Fire investigators have deter- mined that an unknown sus- pect, or suspects, illegally entered the dwelling and ig- nited a fire in a bedroom and fled undetected.”
Penny further said that although no arrests have been made, investigators do have a person of interest in the case.
Rewards of up to $2,500 or more are available for in- formation leading to the identification of persons in- volved in arson fires.
The Fire Marshal’s Office is requesting anyone with in- formation to contact them at (813) 274-7000 or provide an anonymous tip at www.tampagov.net/arson- tips.
On Wednesday, the Hills- borough County Sheriff’s Of- fice asked the public for assistance in locating a miss- ing 6-year-0ld. The child and her mother were later located unharmed.
However, the Hillsbor- ough County Child Protective Investigations Division will conduct an investigation to determine if any further ac- tion will be taken in the best interest of the child.
According to police, deputies were contacted after Brianna Felton disap- peared. She was last seen get- ting off the school bus near her home.
She was reported missing
by her stepfather, who had been taking care of the child and had not been in contact with her biological mother, identified as Ms. Tiffany Marie Martelli, who turned 25 on Thursday.
Police further stated that Ms. Martelli sent the step- father photographs of the child showing that she was safe, but refused to make contact with deputies be- cause she had an active war- rant for her arrest.
Investigators developed a lead and the child and her mother, were located in Gib- sonton. Ms. Martelli was taken into custody.
The child was not harmed.
FRIDAY, JANUARY 29, 2016 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 3-A