Person of Interest in Custody in Death of Pregnant Mom, Daughter

A person of interest is now in custody in connection to the death of a pregnant woman and her 4-year-old daughter.

Ebony Talley, 22, and her 4-year-old daughter R'Mani Rankins were found dead inside an apartment complex in Bristol Township, Pa. on Monday following a fire. Friends and family say Talley was 6-months pregnant at the time of her death.

"She was a good person," said Talley's cousin, Dani Hodges. "She took care of her daughter. She loved her sisters and brother."

The fire broke out at the Avalon Court Apartment Complex on the 3500 block of Bristol Oxford Valley Road -- not far from the Pennsylvania Turnpike -- Monday afternoon. Firefighters controlled the blaze shortly after.

Officials soon discovered the bodies of Talley and R'Mani, who were staying with a friend inside the complex. Talley was pronounced dead at the scene. R'Mani was taken to the hospital where she later died.

According to the Bucks County District Attorney's Office, someone stabbed both Talley and her daughter and set a fire to cover it up.

"It's too fast," said Marquis Johnson, a friend of the victims. "It sounds fishy. It sounds like they were set up or something like that."

Police say 21-year-old Marcel Johnson is currently a person of interest in the case. Johnson was already arrested and charged with possession of drug paraphernalia with bail set at 10% of $50,000.

According to an affidavit, Johnson was the last person at the scene with Talley and her daughter before their deaths. While he is a person of interest he has not been charged with their murder.

Officials said six people were displaced during the fire. The American Red Cross assisted them with the basic necessities.

Stay with NBC10.com for more details on this developing story.

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