Cobb stepfather arrested after fire

Man’s stepdaughter was found dead in upstairs bedroom.

A stepfather was arrested Friday after Cobb County police say he set the house in which his kid lived on fire.

Defareya Hunter, 37, is being held at the Broward County Jail in Florida on murder, aggravated assault, arson and cruelty to children charges in the July 23 house fire, Cobb police spokesman Sgt. Dana Pierce said. It wasn’t said how he got to Florida.

Foul play was already suspected in the fire at the Marietta house along Shadow Ridge Drive.

Hunter’s stepdaughter was found dead in a bedroom upstairs, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution previously reported. A teenage boy escaped the fire as crews pulled up to the home.

Authorities did not release the name of the girl because she is a juvenile.

Court documents show a history of domestic violence between the husband and wife who lived in the home, including an incident involving the teenage daughter, Channel 2 Action News reported.

Hunter is waiting extradition back to Cobb County.