On March 5, 1995, 28-year-old Kimberly Fulton and her 17-month-old son, Daniel, were found dead in their burned-out mobile home in Waterford, Ohio. Investigators later determined that both Kimberly and her son were killed before the fire started, suggesting that the fire was deliberately set in an attempt to cover up the crime. Their deaths were classified as homicides, and the case went cold for many years without any arrests being made.
However, significant progress was made in 2019 when the Washington County Sheriff's Office Cold Case Unit reopened the investigation, ultimately leading to the indictment of Scott A. Hickman in October 2021. Hickman, then 49 years old, was charged with four counts of aggravated murder and two counts of murder. It is believed that Hickman was at the scene during the incident, and new evidence enabled authorities to bring charges against him years after the original crime. The indictment states that Hickman "purposely, and with prior calculation and design," caused the deaths of Kimberly and Daniel. He was arrested and held without bond as the investigation and judicial process continued.
This breakthrough, years after the tragic event, highlights the commitment of law enforcement to resolve cold cases and provide answers for grieving families. The Washington County Sheriff's Office, with support from the Ohio Attorney General's Bureau of Criminal Investigation, worked tirelessly to pursue justice in this case, which had remained unsolved for over two decades. The authorities are still encouraging anyone with additional information to come forward to help bring closure to Kimberly and Daniel's family. A reward for information remains in place, demonstrating the ongoing community effort to resolve this tragic crime.
