Concerned neighbors of a girl who died in a motor-home fire Oct. 1 on Daley Lane near Kalispell had a heated exchange with county prosecutors on Tuesday, but a family friend said that the girl’s parents were cleared by authorities to care for their children, did the best they could to provide for their family and have been devastated by the loss.

Daley Lane neighbors are raising alarms about what they believe was a lack of response to complaints they made about possible child neglect and drug activity on the property before the child’s death.

Meanwhile, law enforcement’s theory that the fire started while the girl’s mother cooked breakfast has been called into question as the mom made claims on social media that she was asleep when the blaze started.

The Flathead County Sheriff’s Office is still trying to find out what happened.

“We are still actively working on the case,” Flathead County Sheriff Chuck Curry said Wednesday. “It’s not timely for me to talk about the investigation, but we are working on it.”

Autumn Hawk, 8, died of smoke inhalation and burns caused by the fire. Her parents, Nicole Davidson Hawk and Joseph Hawk, were able to escape the fire. Joseph was later jailed and charged with beating his wife at the scene of the fire while the motor home burned.

Investigators were unable to determine a cause of the fire from physical evidence at the scene because the blaze burned so hot that little was left to examine.

Initial 911 calls indicated the fire started with an explosive bang, and Curry previously said interviews with Nicole led investigators to believe that the mother was cooking breakfast on the stove when the fire started. Autumn was thought to have been asleep in a bunk in the motor home.

Family friend Samuel Sieler has a problem with that explanation. He has been caring for Autumn’s two older brothers — ages 14 and 12 — as the family tries to find housing.

“I gave them the motor home,” Sieler said. “I don’t know what happened, but I can tell you the stove didn’t work.”

Sieler said Nicole told him that she was asleep at the time the fire started. Relatives and a person claiming to be the girl’s mother on social media also disputed the alleged cause of the fire. Sieler said the continuous speculation has had a negative impact on family members as they try to heal after the loss of Autumn.

“It was a tragedy,” Sieler said. “But everybody is trying to point fingers.”

Sieler has been trying to help the family for several months. He and the Hawks used to be neighbors, and Sieler said his impression was that Nicole and Joseph were doing the best they could to provide for their children.

It was hard for the family to find adequate low-income housing because Autumn had a genetic disorder called Smith-Magenis syndrome that made her prone to loud outbursts and unruly behavior. She was developmentally delayed and needed constant care.

“That girl was a handful,” Sieler said. “Her mom was a 24-hour caretaker.”

The family tried to put Autumn in public school, but due to concerns she wasn’t receiving proper care, Nicole stayed home with the girl. Autumn’s two older brothers were enrolled in school, and Sieler spent the past several months trying to help Joseph find work.

Joseph never had been a “stellar example” of a father figure, Sieler said. His background prevented him from being able to get a high-paying job, but Joseph was trying, according to Sieler.

“He’s really come a long way,” Sieler said.

Sieler gave the family the motor home and it was moved to Daley Lane near Foy’s Lake earlier this summer so the family could take more steps toward independence. Sieler said the family was not warmly received.

“They didn’t know the neighbors,” Sieler said.

One of the boys tried to introduce himself and was chased off, according to Sieler.

As for complaints of possible drug traffic on the property, Sieler said that was a long-standing problem that revolved around a nearby shop and had been ongoing before the Hawks moved in.

“I have never seen them use drugs and I have not seen evidence of them using drugs,” Sieler said.

Calls from neighbors, however, prompted Montana Child and Family Services to conduct an investigation this summer. Sieler volunteered to undergo foster parent certification if necessary so the children could remain with a familiar family instead of a going to a stranger in case the inquiry ended with a change of custody.

After the investigation wrapped up, a judge ruled against the state agency, Seiler said. The children were allowed to stay with Joseph and Nicole.

“They investigated,” Sieler said. “They did their job.”

Sieler said Autumn was always cared for.

“She was never left alone,” Sieler said. “She was always with her mom or oldest brother and, wow, did that kid know how to take care of his sister. He did an awesome job.”

Sieler said Autumn’s parents and brothers are devastated. Joseph and Nicole are haunted by the fact that they could not get their daughter out of the motor home.

“If anyone doubts their love for their children... I don’t know what to say,” Sieler said. “They love their children and they loved Autumn dearly.”

The family said goodbye to Autumn by going to a vigil hosted by a community member on Oct. 9 and a funeral service the next day. Sieler said none of the neighbors who have made claims about the family showed up at either event. As the Hawks try to move forward, they’ve had difficulty getting assistance for housing because of scrutiny of the fire.

A GoFundMe account was set up to help raise money for burial costs, but people started trolling it and making negative comments, Sieler said people willing to help the family can contact Sieler at [email protected]. Donations can also be made directly to Johnson-Gloschat Funeral Home.

As the family tries to move on, some neighbors have vowed to keep trying to get fresh eyes on the case and called for increased investigation because they feel that there was illegal activity going on leading up to Autumn’s death.

More than 20 neighbors gathered at the Flathead County Justice Center on Tuesday to present Flathead County Deputy Attorney Anne Lawrence with evidence they collected over the summer about suspicious activity on the Daley Lane property.

The neighbors did not want to be identified because they said they fear for their lives. They claim that people who frequent the Daley Lane property have run them off the roadway and followed them home. The group is considering hiring a private security guard for protection.

Some worry organized crime might be involved because of ritualistic behavior they observed involving an American flag being posted on the side of a shop building on the property at sundown and removed at sunrise. They also claim that they overheard people speaking in Germanic languages on the property and they speculate there might be a connection to biker-gang training.

Multiple attempts to contact the property’s owner Paul Brandt were unsuccessful, making it difficult to determine who was authorized to use the shop on the property and what kind of activity had been going on there.

The group includes two neighbors who came with notebooks containing documentation of calls made to Child and Family Services and the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office about suspected drug activity and possible child abuse at 425 Daley Lane.

Both handwritten documentation and printed phone records show where neighbors called an average of three times per day in July and August about their concerns. The neighbors submitted photos and videos of activity on the property, but not much was done about the calls other than the investigation by Child and Family Services.

The files also contain a copy of a three-day eviction notice that was served by a county deputy to the Hawk family one week before the fire for unspecified reasons. The next step in completing the eviction would have been to file a complaint for possession with county authorities, but the fire happened before that occurred.

Five of the 20 neighbors got to meet with Deputy County Attorney Lawrence and three representatives from Child and Family Services. People in the crowd on Tuesday became upset when they learned a legal representative from Child and Family Services was going to be present during the meetings, and people wondered if they needed their own attorney.

Lawrence said that no one needed an attorney and stressed that she was not collecting complaints about Child and Family Services and wanted to focus only on the Hawks’ case.

“This is not about CPS,” Lawrence told the group, referring to child protective services. “This is about this one family. I want to find out what we can about this one family.”

As neighbors emerged from interviews Tuesday, they said that Lawrence was very attentive to what they had to say.

The group was praised by Cheryl Hodges, a woman who has spearheaded protests against Child and Family Services across the state.

“This is great,” Hodges said. “All these people are here because they care about what happened to this little girl.”

State Rep. Keith Regier, R-Kalispell, also attended the meeting because he was told about the allegations of a lack of response from Child and Family Services, but by the end of the gathering he said it appeared there may be a possible larger issue about communication with law enforcement. He suggested that the group try to meet with Sheriff Chuck Curry. The group did get to meet with Curry on Friday and were told that the department was investigating and doing what could be done within the limits of the law.

Lawrence said she could give no details about the outcome of the meeting because of state confidentiality laws.

The group of neighbors promised to keep pushing the issue and was encouraged by Hodges.

“You have to stand out there and be bold, be nasty if you have to,” Hodges said. “We are not going to quit.”

Reporter Megan Strickland may be reached at 758-4459 or by email at [email protected].