INDIANA, Pa. -- One day after a teenager was accused of setting a fire that killed her adoptive father, the child's biological mother faced charges in connection with her alleged actions before the fatal blaze.

Charged as an adult with homicide and arson, Codee Wheeler spent her 17th birthday in the Indiana County Prison on Thursday. State police said she torched the Blairsville home of William and Sue Wheeler, killing William in the process.

Now, WTAE Channel 4's Jennifer Miele reports that Codee Wheeler's birth mother, Georgiann Palmer, is being charged with felony interference with custody of children.

Palmer had no comment Thursday about Codee Wheeler or the charges against either of them.

Though Palmer has no legal parental rights to Codee, police said Palmer helped the girl run away from home and paid for her to stay 18 days at Scott's Motel in Indiana, Pa., earlier this year.

"She (Palmer) was well aware of where the daughter was the entire time. She was in charge of hiding her away from the police and the adoptive parents," state police Trooper John Fisanch said.

When a family member called in a tip about Codee's whereabouts, police returned her to the Wheelers' South Stewart Street home, which they said she burned down on March 21.

William Wheeler was found dead in the house when firefighters arrived. The county coroner said he died of asphyxia from smoke inhalation.

Palmer and Codee Wheeler didn't have much contact until the girl's teenage years, when Palmer moved from North Carolina to Blairsville, Miele reported.

Not long after Palmer's move, some accusations were made about William Wheeler's behavior, and that prompted an investigation by the county Department of Children and Youth Services.

According to court papers, William Wheeler was alleged to have a habit of walking around the house in his underwear and walking into the bathroom while Codee Wheeler was in the shower.

Investigators eventually cleared William Wheeler, and that's when Codee Wheeler ran away -- allegedly with the help of her biological mother, police said.

Codee Wheeler's page on MySpace.com said she got along with her adoptive parents only sometimes. On the Web page, the girl also said that she wasn't easygoing.

A state police fire marshal said burn patterns suggest the fatal fire was deliberately set in the middle of the Wheelers' family room, according to an affidavit of probable cause.

In March, Sue Wheeler disagreed with that assessment, telling WTAE Channel 4 Action News, "It's not an arson." And on Wednesday, she stood by Codee Wheeler's side as the girl was charged with her husband's murder.

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