Who Is Meliza Campos-Sanchez? Florida Mother Arrested After Setting Kitchen Fire, Pouring Hot Wax on Daughters (Video)

A Florida mother was arrested after authorities said she set a fire inside her Miami home while her two young daughters were present and poured hot melted candle wax onto the girls. Meliza Campos-Sanchez, 26, was arrested on Monday, Aug. 17, and charged with first-degree arson, child abuse and two counts of child neglect, according to arrest affidavits obtained by PEOPLE. The investigation began after Miami-Dade Fire Rescue responded to the home on Aug. 16 following a report of a kitchen fire, and a fire investigator determined the blaze had been intentionally set using an open flame, ignitable liquids and combustible materials.

Videos Posted To Instagram

Authorities later learned that Campos-Sanchez had posted two videos to her Instagram account. In one, she is seen using lit candles to pour melted wax onto her own leg and then onto the hands of her two daughters. In the other, she is seen wearing a silver mask while spraying a liquid onto clothing on the kitchen floor before igniting it with a red lighter, according to the affidavit. Florida: Man Uses Leaf Blower on Infant, Indicted After Child Dies.

Florida Mother Arrested After Allegedly Setting Fire In Kitchen And Pouring Hot Wax On Her Two Young Daughters

Florida woman films herself starting a fire in her kitchen and pouring hot wax on her children.

Meliza Campos-Sanchez was arrested and charged with child abuse, child neglect, and arson.

Her husband says they were going through marital issues and he had contacted the sheriff's… pic.twitter.com/7FtnArNWMc

— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) August 19, 2026

Evidence Found At The Scene

The fire investigator who responded to the home found burnt materials and minor fire damage to the center of the tiled kitchen floor. Investigators also photographed a silver mask, a red lighter and a clear plastic bottle with a yellow cap containing a clear liquid believed to be rubbing alcohol, the document alleges.

Husband Describes Marital Issues

Campos-Sanchez's husband, Yusniel Cue, allegedly told investigators that he and his wife had been experiencing marital issues and that he had been staying with his parents for about a week while Campos-Sanchez remained at the home with their daughters. Florida Man Caught With Fake Bladder and D*ldo in ‘Jerry-Rigged Whizzinator’ To Beat Drug Test (Watch Video).

Cue said he learned about the videos after receiving a call from one of Campos-Sanchez's friends, who told him to contact police. When he arrived at the home, Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office deputies and Miami-Dade Fire Rescue were already present, and he took custody of his daughters while Campos-Sanchez was transported to a hospital.

Cue also told investigators about an earlier incident in which he said Campos-Sanchez had attempted suicide, and that he had contacted the sheriff's office the previous week over concerns involving their children.

Daughter's Account To Investigators

Investigators later spoke with Campos-Sanchez's eldest daughter, who said she and her younger sister were in the laundry room next to the kitchen after lunch when they saw their mother set fire to clothing on the kitchen floor and throw a glass mug onto the floor while dancing. She said her mother then used a bowl of water to put out the flames.

The daughter also told investigators that her mother later brought the girls into the kitchen and began pouring hot wax from the lit candles onto herself and the two girls, according to the affidavit.

Charges And Custody

After the investigation, an officer went to an area hospital where Campos-Sanchez was sedated and unable to be interviewed. She was subsequently charged with child abuse and child neglect in addition to first-degree arson and transported to the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Institution, according to the affidavit.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 20, 2026 07:28 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).