SAN ANTONIO – Two young children believed to be 5 and 7 years old were found dead inside a burned vehicle Friday morning on San Antonio’s West Side, and their mother has been arrested and charged with capital murder.
San Antonio police said 34-year-old Marlene Vidal of Edinburg was taken into custody after the children — a girl and a boy — were found dead inside a burned white Hyundai along Richland Hills Drive. Investigators said they have confirmed the children lived with their mother in Edinburg in the Rio Grande Valley.
The vehicle was discovered between 5 and 6 a.m. on Richland Hills Drive when a passerby noticed it on fire while walking their dog, investigators said. Police said the witness saw a woman at the scene who said she had already called authorities, but the passerby called 911 as well.
Police said Vidal was at the scene when officers arrived.
“Officers and firefighters responded to the scene and once the fire was extinguished, we can now positively confirm that two children were found deceased inside of the vehicle,” SAPD Assistant Chief Jesse Salame said.
Investigators said Vidal told police she was the children’s mother and that she has family connections to San Antonio. “She just indicated that she was the one that we would be looking for,” Salame said.
“At this stage of the investigation, we have statements made by the suspect along with surveillance video and evidence from the scene that indicate she was solely responsible for the death of these two children,” he said.
The 7-year-old victim was a girl. The 5-year-old victim was a boy who is autistic and nonverbal.
The children’s father, who lives in the Rio Grande Valley and no longer lived with the children’s mother, spoke with Sinclair San Antonio following the deaths. Police said there is no clear motive, though there are indications of mental health issues. The children’s father told News 4 he is devastated by the deaths and said the younger child had autism.
“So what I’ll commit to you now is that we’re going to continue working to find the truth, seek justice for these children, and support everyone affected by this tragedy,” Salame said.
“And I know our community is going to be hurting right now,” said Assistant Police Chief Jesse Salame, “Everyone’s going to want to know why something like this happened, and unfortunately, the why is sometimes the hardest question to answer.”
In Texas, a capital murder conviction can carry either the death penalty or a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.
