MIAMI – A 26-year-old Miami mother and Instagram influencer arrested for pouring hot melted candle wax on her young daughters and intentionally starting a kitchen fire while the children were inside now faces an immigration detainer from ICE, authorities confirmed.
Meliza Campos-Sanchez was booked into the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on charges of first-degree arson, child abuse, and child neglect following the Aug. 16 incident at her home in the 4200 block of Southwest 95th Avenue. A judge ordered her held without bond.
According to arrest reports and affidavits, Miami-Dade Fire Rescue responded to reports of an intentional kitchen fire. Investigators determined Campos-Sanchez had sprayed clothing with a flammable liquid believed to be rubbing alcohol and set it ablaze using a lighter. She also posted Instagram videos showing herself using lit candles to pour hot wax onto her own leg and then onto the hands of her daughters, ages 3 and 6.
In one video, the mother appears dancing in a silver mask and short dress while lighting the fire as the children watched. The older daughter later told investigators she extinguished the flames herself with a bowl of water. Investigators recovered a silver mask, lighter, and damaged clothing at the scene.
Campos-Sanchez, who built a following of more than 55,000 on Instagram as a lifestyle and real estate influencer, was first taken to a hospital under Florida’s Baker Act for a mental health evaluation before being arrested on Aug. 17. Her estranged husband, Yusniel Cue, had contacted authorities days earlier expressing concerns about the children’s safety and reported prior suicidal behavior by the mother. The girls are now in their father’s custody, and Campos-Sanchez has been ordered to have no contact with them.
Court records show Campos-Sanchez also has an active immigration hold. Under Florida law requiring cooperation with federal immigration authorities, the ICE detainer allows agents to place a hold on her beyond any potential state release.
The case has drawn attention for the graphic nature of the self-recorded videos and the mother’s dual status facing both state criminal charges and federal immigration enforcement. Campos-Sanchez remains in custody as the cases proceed.
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