A Florida mother has been arrested after authorities alleged that she deliberately started a fire inside her Miami-area home while her two young daughters were present and poured hot melted candle wax onto the children. Meliza Campos-Sanchez, 26, was arrested on Monday and faces charges including first-degree arson, child abuse and two counts of child neglect, according to arrest affidavits obtained by PEOPLE. NBC Miami also reported that she was taken to hospital for a mental health evaluation before being booked into jail.
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Investigators find evidence of intentionally set fire
The investigation began on Sunday, August 16, when Miami-Dade Fire Rescue responded to a reported kitchen fire at a home in the 4200 block of Southwest 95th Avenue. Investigators determined that the fire had been intentionally started using an open flame, ignitable liquids and combustible materials, according to the arrest affidavit.
Authorities later discovered two videos posted to Campos-Sanchez’s Instagram account. In one, she appeared to use lit candles to pour melted wax onto her own leg and then onto the hands of one of her daughters. The children are aged six and three, according to NBC Miami.
A second video reportedly showed Campos-Sanchez wearing a silver mask, singing and dancing in the kitchen while spraying liquid onto clothing on the floor before setting it alight with a red lighter. Investigators believed the liquid was rubbing alcohol. Fire officials also found fire-damaged clothing and photographed a silver mask, a lighter and a clear plastic bottle at the scene, the affidavit said.
Daughter describes events inside home
Investigators later spoke to Campos-Sanchez’s older daughter, who said she and her younger sister were in a laundry room beside the kitchen when they saw their mother set fire to clothing on the floor and throw a glass mug down while dancing. The girl said her mother eventually used a bowl of water to extinguish the flames.
She also told investigators that Campos-Sanchez later brought both children into the kitchen and poured hot wax from lit candles onto herself and the girls.
Campos-Sanchez’s husband, Yusniel Cue, told investigators that the couple had been experiencing marital problems and that he had been staying with his parents. He said a friend alerted him to the Instagram videos, prompting him to contact police. Cue also described an earlier alleged suicide attempt and said he had contacted authorities the previous week over concerns about the children.
Campos-Sanchez was taken to hospital for a mental health evaluation and was initially unable to speak to investigators because she had been sedated. After her release, she was booked into the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Institution. A judge later appointed a public defender and ordered her held without bond, while records also showed an immigration hold.
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