The Texas mother accused of killing her two young children — whose bodies were found inside a smoldering car — sobbed uncontrollably during her first court appearance as her family revealed her deteriorating mental health over the last year.
Marlene Vidal, 34, had tears streaming down her face as she appeared before a Bexar County judge Friday, hours after she allegedly murdered her children, Adrian Akeel, 5, and Aleeza Elena, 7, in San Antonio, according to video obtained by WOAI.
The children were discovered inside a charred white Hyundai SUV after police and firefighters responded to a vehicle fire in a parking lot behind a San Antonio warehouse, following a call from a dog walker at around 5 a.m., officials said.
When officers arrived at the scene, they found Vidal nearby. She identified herself as the children’s mother, and told them “that she was the one that we would be looking for,” San Antonio Police Assistant Chief Jesse Salame said.
Police said Vidal had driven more than 200 miles from her hometown of Edinburg to San Antonio on Thursday — a roughly three-hour trip — before the children were found dead the following morning.
It remains unclear whether the children died before the fire or were burned to death. The medical examiner has not released their identities or cause of death, though family members have identified them as the victims.
Salame told KSAT that investigators are still working to pin down a motive, but said mental health issues may have played a role in the killings.
A Child Protective Services spokesperson confirmed to the outlet that the agency had previously investigated Vidal before the killings but declined to provide further details, adding that a child fatality report would be released upon completion of the investigation.
The day before Vidal traveled to San Antonio, Edinburg police were called to a Walmart after reports that the mother of two was acting erratically — and was spotted pushing a cart containing lighter fluid and a grill, her sister Argelia Vidal told the San Antonio Express-News.
Argelia, 45, said her sister’s mental health began to deteriorate nearly a year ago following what appeared to be a psychotic episode.
She said Vidal suffered a mental breakdown while driving from Edinburg to San Antonio with her children in June 2025 and was pulled over by a state trooper after being spotted driving chaotically on the road.
CPS then placed the children in the care of their aunt, Irlanda Vidal, for about six weeks.
Argelia said that since that incident, the family had spent months attempting to get law enforcement and child welfare authorities to intervene.
“We reached out to every agency we could, and they all failed us,” Argelia told the outlet. “Now my sister’s going to get the help that she needs, but the children are dead.”
After more than a month with their aunt, CPS determined Vidal could resume caring for her children — a decision the family disputed.
“They asked us, ‘Has she threatened the kids?’” Argelia recalled child welfare officials asking. “We’re like, ‘No, but we know they’re in danger because she’s out of it.’”
Vidal’s family said her mental state had been deteriorating over the past week, with her sister adding she had recently shaved her head in the days before the killings.
Phone records reviewed by the San Antonio Express-News show Argelia called authorities — including San Antonio police, Edinburg police and CPS — at least ten times on Wednesday alone.
Vidal is being held at the Bexar County Adult Detention Center on two counts of capital murder and one count of arson on a $2.1 million bond — $1 million for each murder charge and $100,000 for the arson.
If convicted, Vidal faces either life without parole or the death penalty under Texas law.
Her next court appearance has not been set.
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