BEL AIR, Md. — UPDATE: Both Destiny Hailie Madera and Kaylee Danae Wright have been located. They have been returned to the care and custody of Arrow Center staff.
Both were reported missing after they were last seen on Saturday, May 2, 2020, at approximately 1:00 a.m.
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It took 50 firefighters two hours on Sunday to extinguish the fire, which gutted the historic Fair Meadows manor house on Creswell Road, but it may take several days to determine what caused it and whether a pair of 16-year-old girls missing from a nearby foster/treatment care center had anything to do with it.
“Just the previous night about one o’clock in the morning on May 2nd, the Arrow Center actually reported two missing juveniles from their center,” said Sr. Deputy State Fire Marshal Oliver Alkire. “We, of course, have this fire on May 3rd at 11am. Those girls at the time were not located so an active search ensued. We actually found one about 10:30 last night.”
Investigators are still trying to locate Destiny Hailie Madera, who is described as standing five-foot-two, 160 pounds with blond hair and green highlights.
While both girls lived on the same grounds as the manor house, authorities stop short of saying they may have been involved with the fire.
“We have no reason,” said Alkire. “We just know they were (known) to frequent the area. We don’t know if they were inside of it. Our main concern is just for their welfare.”
According to historical records, the house, itself, is a 15-room mansion dating back to 1868 and it cost the final Harford Furnace magnate $93,000 to build.
That’s the equivalent of about $1.7 million in today’s money.
A century later it became the administrative building for the Eastern Christian College before sitting empty over the last decade.
“The attic collapsed down to the third floor, and those floor collapsed down to the second so it’s going to be an extensive…a lot of debris removal and extensive overhaul and try to make it safe for our investigators to make it inside,” said Alkire.
In the meantime, they will hope Destiny Madera surfaces unharmed, like her friend has.
If you have any information about the missing teen or about the origins of this fire, you’re asked to call 911.
Destiny is 5’2” tall and weighs approximately 160 pounds. She has blonde hair with green highlights and blue eyes. She was last seen wearing an army fatigue t-shirt, green shorts, and multi-colored sneakers.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation. The bulk of the fire was found near the roof of the location, requiring investigators to use a drone to assess the damage.
