A Florida mother was arrested after posting Instagram videos showing her pouring hot wax on her crying daughters and setting a fire in her kitchen.
Meliza Campos-Sanchez, 26, was taken into custody Monday in Miami and charged with child abuse, child neglect, and first-degree arson following the Sunday blaze at her home, according to an affidavit. The mother of two had reportedly shared disturbing footage with her 55,000 Instagram followers that captured her dancing around the kitchen in a silver mask while holding a lighter and pouring liquid onto a pile of clothes, then watching the flames spread.
The videos also showed Campos-Sanchez pouring hot wax from a lit candle onto her own chest, while a separate clip captured her dripping molten wax onto her two crying daughters’ hands and onto her leg. Fire crews responded to the home Sunday over the blaze, arriving just a week after her estranged husband had reported fears for his children who remained with his suicidal ex, according to the affidavit.
Her eldest daughter told police that she and her younger sister saw their mom start the fire and throw a glass mug on the floor while dancing, before extinguishing the flames with a bowl of water, authorities said. Investigators allegedly found the silver mask, a flammable liquid, and a lighter at the home while responding to the fire.
Campos-Sanchez’s husband, who was not at home at the time, told investigators the couple was going through marital issues and he was staying with his parents. He also told police his wife had attempted suicide shortly before the incident, and said he contacted the sheriff’s office a week earlier over fears about his children.
In the viral moment that preceded her arrest, Campos-Sanchez had broadcast her actions to tens of thousands of followers on Instagram, where she appeared to treat the dangerous stunt as performance content. The footage showed her moving through her kitchen with the mask covering her face as the fire grew, then shifting to the wax torture of her children without apparent concern for their distress.
Campos-Sanchez was arrested on Monday and remains facing multiple felony charges related to the abuse and arson incident.