At a press conference Thursday, Lucas Anthony, a captain in the New York State Police Criminal Investigations Bureau, provided an update on the deadly fire that destroyed the Knights Inn in Endwell.
The blaze broke out early Monday morning, killing six people at the Endwell motel. The Knights Inn served as a shelter for people without permanent housing. Many were families with children.
Anthony identified the people who died in the fire as fifty-eight-year-old Michelle Woolfolk, and a family of five: 29-year-old Josh Molyneaux, 27-year-old Domonique Cruz-Champion, and their three children, Ella, Romyn, and Zachariah, ages 3, 2, and 10 months. It was the first time the victims had been publicly identified.
Anthony said the first calls to 911 came in shortly before 6 a.m. on June 22. He said the fire spread quickly and the roof collapsed into the two-story building shortly after the first fire trucks arrived.
Anthony said fire crews could not search the building until the fire was extinguished and the building cooled down. Over 50 other people were staying at the motel. He said they were all located alive and are getting help.
Ongoing investigation
Twenty-four-year-old Tyler Russell was charged with six counts of manslaughter in the second degree and one count of arson in the fourth degree. Russell was living on the first floor of the Knights Inn.
He is being held in the Broome County jail without bail. Broome County District Attorney Paul Battisti did not give a date for the county grand jury hearing.
“Through canvassing and video surveillance they [law enforcement] were able to locate a lighter that we believe was utilized to start the fire,” said Battisti.
Battisti said Russell was found at UHS Wilson Medical Center in Johnson City, where he had been taken the day of the fire with minor injuries from falling in the motel parking lot.
Battisti and Anthony said the investigation is ongoing but urged anyone who saw or heard anything to call the state police.
Anthony said there are no other suspects.
Supporting survivors
The United Methodist Church in Vestal is providing shelter to survivors.
County Executive Jason Garnar said his office is still getting calls asking how to support the survivors. He said the best way to help is to make a donation to the fund set up by the Broome County United Way.
The day after the fire, over 50 people gathered outside the county government building on Hawley Street in Binghamton.
Some shared memories of those who died. Many also expressed anger and frustration at the Department of Social Services and government officials that put families in what they say was an unsafe building with non-functioning fire alarms.
Garnar said fire alarms were functioning the day of the fire.
Endwell is in the Town of Union. Town supervisor, Robert Mack said inspections are done about once a month. However, he did not have details about recent inspections or whether there were any code violations.
A ProPublica and New York Focus investigation of the increased use of motels as emergency homeless shelters between 2018-2024 found that “The change was most pronounced in Broome County, where hotel cases more than quintupled.”
Demands for change
Supporters and survivors set up a group of tents they call the “Hawley Street Encampment” near the county government building. Demonstrators gathered at the site stated they intended to stay for 36 hours, six hours for each person who died in the fire.
The 36 hours were up on Thursday morning. On Wednesday, the Glory Shines Foundation issued a statement saying the encampment would stay up “for as long as the Community chooses to sustain it.”
“We already know there’s going to be a press conference tomorrow [Thursday] by the state troopers…We know what they’re going to say, but this is what we have to say…,” said Glory Shines volunteer, Masai Andrews on Wednesday.
He read a list of demands for local officials from a coalition made up of activists, unhoused people, and supporters. They include placing families who don't have housing in homes instead of hotels, a rent freeze, an eviction moratorium, an end to encampment sweeps, and payouts to the victims of the fire, among other demands.
The encampment was still in place as of Thursday afternoon.