Mom Set Car on Fire with 3 Children Inside, Say Texas Police

HOUSTON, Texas — A Texas mother is in custody after she allegedly set her car on fire while three of her children were inside.

“We’re going to see Jesus,” the woman reportedly told her children, according to Houston Police Department Lt. Larry Crowson. The mother allegedly revved the engine of her parked vehicle until it caught fire, Fox26 Houston reported. Police said the three children were ages 9, 11, and 13. The incident occurred in the parking lot of a self-service car wash.

After the car ignited, witnesses intervened and the mother, identified by Click2Houston as 31-year-old Ana Segovia, fled the scene with her three children in tow.

Police said Segovia abandoned her two older children on W. Orem Drive in far southwest Houston. She then reportedly dragged the 9-year-old toward a bayou.

A Precinct 7 deputy constable caught up with the woman. She struggled with the deputy, who eventually gained control and placed her under arrest.

Court records obtained by Breitbart Texas from the office of Harris County District Clerk Chris Daniel report that Segovia is charged with three counts of Aggravated Assault of a Family Member. The records describe the woman as a U.S. citizen, born in El Salvador. She has no previous criminal history, the records state.

Segovia is scheduled to appear for a hearing before 185th District Court Judge Susan Brown on Tuesday. No bond has been set at this time, records state.

Police did not say where the children have been placed after their experience.

The woman could face additional charges relating to her alleged intentional effort to set the car on fire. Fox26 reports that Houston Fire Department arson investigators are conducting an investigation Monday morning.

The woman is also facing a mental health evaluation, the Houston Fox affiliate reported.