A West Virginia woman is now facing charges after investigators say she killed her husband and daughter, then set fire to the family’s home with the bodies still inside.
Nicole Taylor, 55, is charged with first-degree murder, arson, and use or presentation of a firearm during the commission of a felony in connection with the deaths of 56-year-old Robert Taylor III and 21-year-old Cynthia Taylor, according to the West Virginia State Police.
The case stems from a fire at a home on Blackberry Lane in rural Harpers Ferry in late September 2025.
When the blaze first broke out, Taylor herself fled the burning house with serious burns and had to be airlifted to a regional burn center, state police said. Officers who responded to the scene found her husband and daughter dead inside the home, setting off a lengthy investigation.
Investigators now say the two victims were killed before the fire ever started. Police say Robert Taylor died from multiple gunshot wounds, though authorities have not disclosed how they believe Cynthia Taylor died.
According to a report from The Journal published around the time of the fire, authorities were called to the property at roughly 9 a.m. that day. Two other adult children in the Taylor family were also hurt in the fire but suffered only minor injuries and survived, the outlet noted.
By October, the case had shifted into a criminal investigation, according to reporting from The Spirit of Jefferson.
State police said the West Virginia State Fire Marshal’s Office determined the fire was intentionally set. A separate investigation by state troopers tied Nicole Taylor to both her husband’s shooting death and the fire itself, authorities said.
She was taken into custody on Tuesday and is currently held at Eastern Regional Jail without bond, law enforcement said.
Law&Crime contacted the West Virginia State Police seeking further details but had not received a response as of publication.
The months-long investigation involved the state police, the state fire marshal’s office, and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
