A mother in Florida is facing serious charges after she allegedly set herself and her two young children on fire. The mother, 26-year-old Esther Thelus, is charged with murder and attempted murder following this tragic incident.
On August 26, around 6:30 p.m., firefighters responded to a home in Orlando where Thelus and her children—a 2-year-old boy and an 8-month-old baby named Davinci Joseph—were found severely burned. Thelus had burns covering more than half of her body, while Davinci suffered burns on 80 to 90% of his body. Fortunately, the 2-year-old only had minor burns. All three were taken to the hospital, and paramedics had to resuscitate Davinci during the ride. Although doctors initially thought he wouldn’t survive, he fought for two months before passing away on October 25.
Thelus is still in the hospital and has been intubated. Fortunately, her 2-year-old son is expected to recover fully.
Detectives found evidence that Thelus bought a lighter, a gas can, and gasoline from a nearby 7-Eleven just before the incident. Earlier that day, she had dropped her 2-year-old off with a man she claimed was the father. She told him she was moving to Fort Lauderdale and didn’t want to take care of the older child anymore due to feelings of “humiliation.” However, the man refused to take the child until a DNA test confirmed he was the father.
After returning from the gas station, Thelus took her children outside. Her roommate’s daughter, who was taking out the trash, saw a horrifying scene and shouted, “She’s killing the kids! They are all on fire!” Neighbors rushed in to help put out the flames.
Thelus’ roommate asked her why she did this, to which Thelus reportedly replied, “It’s too much humiliation.”
The gas station clerk who sold Thelus the gas can and gasoline expressed her distress, saying she feels guilty about what happened in her store.
Esther Thelus has a court hearing scheduled for November 12.
