A North City, Missouri, man has been arrested after he is accused of shooting his girlfriend and her daughter before setting their house on fire.
Michael McNair He has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of armed criminal action, one count of unlawful possession of a firearm and one count of first-degree arson.
McNair, 40, was arrested after he allegedly killed his girlfriend, Latasha Brown, and her 9-year-old daughter.
The two victims were found inside their home on Dec. 21, 2025, with gunshot wounds to the head, according to court documents seen by Us Weekly. Brown, 45, and her daughter were taken to a hospital for treatment, where they later died.
In addition to shooting his girlfriend and daughter, police said McNair also set fire to the house where the three lived. Authorities said McNair disabled the smoke detectors inside before the home caught fire.
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Court documents say the fire was caused by arson, according to the outlet. Police officers looked at the smoke detectors that had been removed and found fingerprints on the devices matched McNair.
Police said McNair and Brown had been dating for several months before the incident, although not much else is known about their relationship.
After police found Brown and her daughter, police tracked McNair and Brown’s phones and found they were traveling to the same places. Police also found a device installed in Brown’s missing car, which they were able to trace to an abandoned home in Poplar Bluff.
Once police located McNair, she admitted that she was in a relationship with Brown and that they lived together in the house. He said they fought the night Brown and her daughter died, and he also admitted to driving Brown’s car to Poplar Bluff that same night. McNair said he traveled to the site because he has family and partners who live there.
Before McNair was located, the US Marshals Office became involved in an attempt to locate him.
Deputy Director of the US Marshals James Tapp said several people helped McNair as he was fleeing.
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“I was bouncing addresses all over Poplar Bluff. We had information and then the blizzard came down and that also made it a couple of days safe for us to come down because it’s not in the St. Louis metro area,” Tapp told reporters, per KSDK.
Tapp added that officials made several attempts in early January to arrest McNair, although all had been unsuccessful.
Brown was remembered by his sister, Lisa Thomasafter his passing.
“There are no words that can fully capture the pain we live with every day,” Thomas said, according to KSDK. “LaTasha was a loving sister, a devoted mother, and a woman whose presence brought warmth and laughter to every room. Paige was a bright, joyful little girl with her whole life ahead of her, a child who deserved to grow up and dream and be safe. Their futures were stolen from them and all of us who love them.”
McNair is currently being held without bond. It is unclear whether he has filed a statement or retained legal representation.