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Grandmother Accused Of Leaving ‘Scared, Crying’ Grandkids To Die In House Fire
Andrea Aleman "abandoned her grandchildren in a burning house and took no action to get them help until it was too late,” authorities say.
A Texas grandmother is accused of leaving two of her grandkids to die in a fatal house fire earlier this month.
Andrea Aleman, 44, was arrested Thursday and charged with injury to a child after her 4-year-old grandson and 2-year-old granddaughter died in a Nov. 2 fire in Waco, KWTX reports. One of the two children who perished was found hiding in a bathroom. The other was in a closet, according to KWTX. Both were pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.
"For them to just be left in the closet by themselves, scared, crying, not knowing what was going on, that hurts us,” John Puente, he children’s uncle, told KWTX.
An investigation into the incident found Aleman’s “actions and/or lack thereof were reckless and contributed to the deaths of both children,” Waco police Sgt. W. Patrick Swanton said in a press release. “It is further believed that the grandmother abandoned her grandchildren in a burning house and took no action to get them help until it was too late.”
Aleman is being held on $30,000 bond.
Aleman escaped the fire along with three other residents, including her 11-year-old daughter.
It’s not clear if the fire was accidental or deliberate but police believe it was caused by a resident of the home.
“I really don't know how the fire started, but someone has to pay for it,” Felicia Puente, the children’s aunt, told KWTX.
[Photo: McLennan County Jail]
