Wanted man dies after setting High Point apartment on fire during arrest attempt

Flames and smoke erupted from a High Point apartment while federal marshals were trying to serve warrants on a man wanted in a child-sex offense case, turning a routine arrest attempt into a fatal emergency on the 3000 block of Sherrill Avenue. Timothy E. Parker, 58, was later found dead inside the unit.

Police said Parker was wanted on two counts of statutory sex offense with a child younger than 15 and one count of indecent liberties with a child. Members of the U.S. Marshals Service Carolinas Regional Fugitive Task Force located him at the apartment and saw him come to the door after spotting law enforcement in the parking lot. Officials said marshals ordered Parker to come outside, but he ignored the commands and moved away from the door.

A short time later, marshals saw flames and smoke coming from inside the apartment and called the High Point Fire Department. Investigators believe Parker intentionally set the fire, and the High Point Police Department said its Violent Crimes Unit is handling the death as a suicide investigation. The High Point Fire Marshal’s Office is separately examining how the fire started.

No one else was inside the apartment, and no officers or community members were hurt. Nearby residents were evacuated as a precaution, but authorities said the damage was limited to Parker’s apartment. For neighbors in the complex, the danger came not only from the warrants themselves, but from how quickly the situation escalated into a fire that forced people out of their homes.

The case also puts a spotlight on the way agencies handle high-risk suspects in apartment communities, especially in cases involving alleged crimes against children. The Carolinas Regional Fugitive Task Force began operating in January 2018 and works with more than 70 federal, state and local agencies, along with 11 operational offices, which helps explain why marshals were on scene in High Point. In a city where police media releases in 2026 have already included homicide, murder-suicide and child-sex-exploitation investigations, the Sherrill Avenue case adds another stark example of how warrant service, public safety and neighborhood risk can collide in a matter of minutes.