Case against Kentucky toddler’s dad goes to grand jury. Boy found in washer after fire.

The criminal case against a man who was charged after his 1-year-old son was found dead in a washing machine in a burned house has been sent to a grand jury, according to news reports.

Vaughn Brock, 26, was initially charged with murder in the death of Joseph Brock and first-degree arson. At a preliminary hearing on Tuesday, it was determined that there was probable cause for the case to move forward, according to WKYT, the Herald-Leader’s reporting partner.

Brock’s mother, Angie Brock, spoke to WKYT after the hearing and said that she believed her grandson, who died days before his second birthday, may have started the March 30 fire instead of her son.

She told the news station that Joseph was found once with a cigarette lighter and that she believed he might have gotten a hold of a lighter and accidentally caused the fire that killed him.

Kentucky State Police were called to the fire on Reams Lane in Laurel County after it was reported that a father had run away from a fire that killed a toddler, according to court records. Theboy was found in a washing machine in the burned home.

Investigators believe the fire began in the living room of the home, near a couch, according to court records.

Vaughn Brock told police that he had fallen asleep on the couch with his son while smoking a joint and woke up to find flames beside him and in the kitchen, according to his arrest citation. He said his son was not beside him and that the fire was so hot that he couldn’t get into the kitchen, according to court records.

Vaughn Brock told investigators that he had never known Joseph to get inside the washing machine, according to court records. When police asked him if Joseph had been acting up before the fire, he said “yes,” before refusing to answer further questions and asking for an attorney.

Vaughn Brock is being held in the Laurel County jail on a $500,000 bond, according to the jail’s website.

This story was originally published April 9, 2019 at 3:54 PM.