The criminal investigation surrounding Meliza Campos-Sanchez has shocked the Miami community. On Aug. 17, Miami-Dade Sheriff’s deputies and local fire rescue teams arrested the 26-year-old mother following a response to a residential kitchen fire on Southwest 95th Avenue. The investigation later uncovered a much more disturbing series of alleged incidents, including Instagram videos in which Campos-Sanchez appeared to burn property and physically hurt her young children.
The initial call came after a kitchen fire broke out while Campos-Sanchez’s two daughters, ages 3 and 6, were inside the home. According to Where Is The Buzz, investigators arriving at the scene quickly found physical evidence that pointed toward arson.
The children tried to put the fires off by themselves
Inside the home, investigators found a red wand lighter, a silver mask, a transparent bottle believed to contain rubbing alcohol and fire damage concentrated on the tiled kitchen floor. Outside the house, near a trash receptacle, authorities found a black outfit with extensive fire damage, further suggesting that flammable liquids and an open flame had been deliberately used to start the fire.
While that evidence provided the basis for the arson investigation, the case took a much darker turn when detectives reviewed videos recently posted to Campos-Sanchez’s Instagram account.
The footage offered a disturbing glimpse into what was happening inside the home. In one video, Campos-Sanchez is seen wearing the same silver mask found by police, singing in Spanish and dancing around the kitchen. She is also seen holding a lighter, throwing clothes onto the floor, pouring liquid over them and setting them on fire.
A second video was even more disturbing. Investigators say it showed Campos-Sanchez using lit candles to melt hot wax and pour it onto her own legs as well as the bodies and hands of her daughters.
The young girls later told child protective investigators that they watched their mother set her outfit on fire and smash a glass mug while dancing. The children reportedly tried to put out the fire themselves using water. Their mother then allegedly poured hot wax onto them.
Investigators are still looking into whether mental health issues played a role in Campos-Sanchez’s behavior. Her husband, Yusniel Cue, told police that their marriage had been experiencing serious problems and that he had left their home to stay with his parents during the week leading up to the incident.
Cue said he had no idea what was happening until a friend saw the Instagram broadcasts and alerted him.
Because of Campos-Sanchez’s erratic behavior and the alleged self-harm seen in the videos, authorities initially took her to a local hospital under Florida’s Baker Act. The law allows people who are considered a danger to themselves or others to be involuntarily taken for a mental health evaluation.
She was eventually transfered to police custody
Campos-Sanchez was heavily sedated when she arrived at the hospital, meaning investigators initially could not obtain a formal statement from her about the fire or the Instagram videos. After she was medically released and underwent a psychiatric evaluation, she was transferred into police custody.
Campos-Sanchez was subsequently booked into the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, where she faces charges including first-degree arson, child abuse and child neglect.
Published: Aug 20, 2026 12:50 pm