A Florida mother is now in custody, facing charges of murder and attempted murder after she reportedly doused herself and her two children in petrol before setting themselves on fire. The mother, Esther Thelus, survived the incident, as did her oldest child, who is two years old.
However, her youngest child, just eight months old, tragically died two months later, according to reports from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. Thelus, 26, suffered burns covering over half her body, while her two year old sustained minor burns and her youngest son had burns covering 80 to 90 per cent of his body.
All three were rushed to hospital by paramedics, with the two-month-old needing resuscitation en route and not expected to survive. Thelus remains in hospital following the incident, where she was intubated but is scheduled for a court hearing on November 12.
Detectives investigating the case revealed that Thelus was seen purchasing a lighter, gas can, and petrol at a nearby 7-Eleven petrol station just moments before the incident.
It’s claimed that prior to the incident, Thelus left her older child with his father, telling him that she and the eight-month-old would be moving to Fort Lauderdale and she no longer wished to care for the older child, reports the Mirror US.
Upon her return from the petrol station, Thelus gathered her two children, drenched them in fuel, and set them ablaze. The horrific scene was stumbled upon by Thelus’ flatmate, who raised the alarm, reportedly screaming: “She’s killing the kids! They are all on fire!”
An Orlando NBC affiliate WESH interviewed the petrol station clerk who had sold Thelus the fuel can and petrol.
The clerk expressed their distress, saying: “I kind of have PTSD because I feel bad, and it happened in my store. Everything was provided from my store.”
