Miami Mom Charged With Arson After Instagram Videos Show Hot Wax Poured on Daughters’ Hands

A 26-year-old mother in Miami has been placed under arrest because of arson and child abuse charges. Investigators claim that she set a fire in her kitchen while her daughters were at home and filmed videos on Instagram of how she poured hot wax candles over her daughters’ hands.

Meliza Campos-Sanchez was arrested on Aug. 17, a day after Miami-Dade Fire Rescue and Miami-Dade Sheriff’s deputies received complaints concerning the kitchen fire in a house situated on Southwest 95th Avenue, as revealed in the probable cause affidavit.

Charges facing her include first-degree arson, child abuse, and child neglect. However, the records show slight variations in the charges, yet the accused hasn’t been proven innocent or guilty in court.

While investigating the crime, authorities discovered damage to the middle part of the tiled kitchen floor, a silver mask, a red wand lighter, and a transparent bottle most probably containing rubbing alcohol. Authorities found a black outfit with fire damage outside the home near the trash can. The fire affidavit indicates the incident involved an intentional fire started with an open flame applied to flammable liquids and other materials.

The criminal case has grown because of two recent videos the woman uploaded to her Instagram account.

According to one of the videos, she uses lit candles in order to pour hot candle wax on her legs and the bodies of her two girls aged 6 and 3 years. In another video, she wears a silver mask, sings Spanish songs, and dances in the kitchen while holding a lighter, throwing her clothes on the floor, pouring liquid on them, and then setting them on fire.

The older daughter reportedly told investigators that she and her little sister saw their mother ignite the outfit and throw a glass mug at the same time while dancing. She said they put out the fire with water, and her mother poured hot wax on them.

Campos-Sanchez’s husband, Yusniel Cue, claimed that there were problems in their marriage and he stayed at his parents’ home for a week. He said a friend reported the videos to him and advised him to go to the police with his request. Moreover, he picked up his daughters from the crime scene and said that he notified the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office about mental problems of his wife because previously she tried to commit suicide.

Meliza Campos-Sanchez was delivered to a hospital with the help of Florida’s Baker Act for an involuntary mental evaluation. She has been sedated and could not give any statements to investigators. After being released from the hospital, she was placed in the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.