Hope Man Arrested on Murder Charge After Child Dies in Rural Dickinson County Fire

A Hope man has been arrested on a first-degree murder charge after a January house fire in rural Dickinson County that left a two-year-old boy dead, according to the Dickinson County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies were dispatched at approximately 5:48 p.m. Monday, Jan. 26, 2026, to a structure fire in the 1500 block of 1400 Avenue in rural Dickinson County. The residence was fully engulfed when firefighters and deputies arrived.

Deputies contacted James Crump and a child outside the residence. They were told Crump’s other two-year-old son was unaccounted for and might be inside the home.

After firefighters brought the fire under control, the two-year-old male victim was found deceased inside the residence, according to the sheriff’s office.

The sheriff’s office said an investigation into the circumstances of the fire has been conducted and remains ongoing. The Dickinson County Sheriff’s Office was assisted by the Office of the State Fire Marshal.

On July 14, 2026, the Dickinson County District Court issued an arrest warrant for James Bradley Crump, 33, of Hope, Kansas, on charges of murder in the first degree and aggravated endangering a child.

Crump was arrested later that day by deputies without incident and booked into the Dickinson County Detention Facility.

No further information is being released at this time, according to the sheriff’s office.