Smoke inhalation killed Poplar Bluff mother, daughter

FARMINGTON, Mo. -- Autopsies performed Tuesday afternoon by a Farmington pathologist determined a Poplar Bluff, Mo., woman and her daughter died of smoke inhalation in a weekend house fire.

Lisa Pulliam, 44, and her 23-year-old daughter, Maerene Lucille Pulliam, were found inside the charred remains of their mobile home in the 100 block of County Road 311 on Sunday morning by Butler County firefighters.

Autopsies were performed on the Pulliams by Dr. Russell Deidiker at Mineral Area Regional Medical Center in Farmington.

Butler County deputy coroner Jim Akers said the cause of death was smoke inhalation. "All indications from the autopsy preliminarily, that's going to be what the findings are."

Deidiker, Akers said, took samples for toxicology analysis, but those results won't be back for "a while."

The Butler County Fire Department was notified of the mobile home fire at 6:25 a.m. Sunday. When firefighters arrived, the mobile home was fully engulfed, with flames coming out the windows.

Firefighters reported one front wall of the mobile home's addition, which included a bedroom, already was gone, as was its floor, when they arrived.

Butler County Sheriff Mark Dobbs said officers did numerous interviews Sunday.

"There is no evidence to support anything other than an accidental fire," Dobbs said.

The cause, he said, "apparently it is going to be very consistent with numerous electrical shortcomings within the residence."

Dobbs said the fire apparently originated in the mobile home's addition. "That's where the electrical problems had been happening in the previous week," he said.

Three others were inside the mobile home and were treated for smoke inhalation and released.