Police identify mother and child killed in house fire

THREE RIVERS, Mich. -- Firefighters and police found a mother and her child deceased inside a home that caught fire early Tuesday morning, according to Michigan State Police. Three children survived the fire.

Troopers were dispatched to the 12000 block of Harder Road, just southwest of Three Rivers, and found the living room and garage engulfed in flames.

Firefighters told police three children escaped the fire through a window.

Because of the location of the fire, firefighters were unable to enter the home to locate the mother and a fourth child.

Once the fire was extinguished, 38-year-old Michelle Diana Bixler and 16 year old Cheyenne Ruth Bixler were found deceased inside the home, reports said.

The three surviving children were taken to the hospital for treatment of minor injuries.

Cheyenne was a sophomore at Three Rivers High School.