Mother of group home fire victim files lawsuit

PINEVILLE, Mo. (AP) -- The mother of a victim of a southwest Missouri group home has filed a wrongful death lawsuit.

Mary Frances Joyce claims that former Jasper County public administrator Rita Hunter is at fault in the death of her son, Isaiah Lee Joyce, because she failed to place him in a safe facility.

The suit was filed this past week in McDonald County Circuit Court. Other defendants include the owners, the group home administrator and officers of the Missouri Department of Health and Social Services.

State fire investigators have said faulty wiring likely sparked the November 2006 blaze that killed 11 people at the Anderson Guest House.

The fire has spawned a series of lawsuits, plus federal criminal charges against owners of the group home alleging Medicaid fraud.

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