Why were Dakota Harper and Felicity Eatmon arrested Tuesday after a Charleston home fire?

 A late-night fire at an abandoned Charleston home has led to the arrests of a young West Virginia couple whose lives had largely been shared online. Dakota Harper, 21, and his fiancée, Felicity Eatmon, 22, are now facing serious arson charges after investigators said surveillance footage captured what appeared to be the moments before the blaze began. The case has drawn added attention because the couple had built a TikTok following by documenting their relationship and daily lives.

The fire was reported around 11:15 p.m. Sunday, September 27, at an abandoned home in the 400 block of Maryland Avenue on Charleston’s West Side. According to the criminal complaint, the structure continued to smolder into the following morning as investigators worked to determine how the fire started. Police later obtained surveillance footage that they say placed Harper and Eatmon near a side entrance of the vacant property shortly before flames were reported.

Investigators allege the footage shows Eatmon handing Harper what appeared to be a piece of paper. Police say Harper then used a handheld ignition source to set the paper on fire before the burning material was placed inside the abandoned home. Authorities allege the couple left the area as the fire began growing, with investigators later using the surveillance recording as part of the evidence supporting the criminal charges against them.

The blaze also affected property beyond the abandoned house. Authorities say the fire caused more than $10,000 in damage to the nearby Canaan United Methodist Church, adding a significant financial consequence to an incident that began at a vacant structure. The extent of the damage to the abandoned home itself was part of the investigation, while police continued documenting evidence surrounding the fire and the events immediately preceding it.

Harper and Eatmon were arrested Tuesday, September 29, in Charleston. Each was charged with first-degree arson and conspiracy to commit arson, and both appeared in court for arraignment that same day. They were being held at the South Central Regional Jail on $10,000 bond each as the case moved forward through the court system. The charges remain allegations, and a criminal complaint is not a finding of guilt.

During Harper’s court appearance, his public defender emphasized that the allegations are only charges and that Harper is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court. That distinction is especially important as investigators’ claims are tested through the legal process. Authorities have not publicly announced a motive explaining why the abandoned home was allegedly targeted, leaving that question unresolved while the case proceeds.

The arrests have also brought renewed attention to the couple’s social media presence. Harper and Eatmon had reportedly built a joint TikTok audience of more than 26,000 followers by the time of their arrests, sharing videos about their relationship and everyday lives. Their following has since grown beyond 28,000, meaning more people are now watching the legal proceedings surrounding a couple whose online content once centered on ordinary moments from their lives.

For Charleston, the case is now about more than an abandoned building and two arrests. Investigators will continue working through the evidence, while Harper and Eatmon face the charges in court and the community considers the damage left behind by the fire. With no public motive announced and no conviction established, the next steps will depend on the legal process and what prosecutors can prove as the case moves forward.