GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) — A western Michigan woman is accused of setting a house fire that killed her 12-year-old daughter who was trapped in a bedroom. “This is a shockingly cruel, unimaginable crime committed by a mom against her three kids,” Grand Rapids Police Chief Eric Winstrom said.

A Grand Rapids mother has pleaded not guilty to setting her house on fire, but admitted she intended to die with her daughters "so they could be free."

The mother told Grand Rapids officials she removed all the smoke alarms before setting the house on fire while her three daughters were asleep.

A 12-year-old child who has been in critical condition since a Saturday morning fire at a Grand Rapids home died Monday evening at a nearby hospital. The Grand Rapids Press/MLive is not naming the child at this time as her mother is facing criminal charges as a result of the fire and the mother is yet to be arraigned.

A Grand Rapids woman is in custody after one of her three children died in a fire that police said she deliberately set over the weekend. Officials said first responders were called at about 7:20 a.m.

Jan. 29, 2025