DERBY, England, May 31 (UPI) -- Mick and Mairead Philpott, whose six children died in a house fire in central England, were charged with six counts of murder Wednesday.
The couple were scheduled to appear Thursday in Southern Derbyshire Magistrate's Court, the Daily Express reported. They were charged 36 hours after they were arrested and brought in for questioning.
Five children -- Jade, 10, and her brothers, John, 9, Jack, 7, Jessie, 6, and Jayden, 5 -- were killed in the fire. Duwayne, 13, died two days later.
Mick Philpott, 55, has fathered 17 children, including the six with Mairead, 31.
Investigators said an accelerant was poured through the mail slot of the Philpotts' home in Derby before the fire May 11. Two weeks ago, the couple appeared at a news conference with police, tearfully asking anyone with information to come forward.
Assistant Chief Constable Steve Cotterill said police were still looking for witnesses.
"We are determined to get to the truth of what happened and still want people to speak to us to tell us what they know about this tragedy," he said.
