Kentucky man indicted for murder, arson in house fire that killed his two sons
A Frankfort father has been indicted for arson and murder after a house fire in April killed his two teenage sons.
Dustin Fields, 44, was originally charged with first-degree arson after the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office said he intentionally started a fire at his home on Flat Creek Road in a rural part of the county. The fire killed his two sons, 13-year-old Bently Fields and 15-year-old Rylan Fields, and a dog, the sheriff’s office said.
After an investigation, Dustin Fields was indicted Thursday on charges of first-degree arson, two counts of murder and two counts of torture of a dog, according to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. ATF assisted with the investigation after the fire, where they sifted through more than 7,000 pounds of debris over four days, revealing new evidence about the fire, the bureau said.
Fields’ arrest citation from May said he used an accelerant to start the fire, knowing his sons were inside. The fire happened at a home Fields owns, and the one-story home was engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived on April 30.
A Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives K-9 detected the accelerant on Fields’ shoes and in various parts of the home, including where the boys were found, according to the citation.
At his arraignment, Fields requested to be released for his sons’ funeral. A decision was not made about his request to attend the funerals at that hearing.
At the same court appearance, a public defender entered a not guilty plea on Fields’ behalf, which is standard in early district court proceedings.
This story was originally published June 27, 2025 at 9:20 AM.