Relatives of mom charged with killing her kids say they warned authorities she was unwell

Relatives of Marlene Vidal, whose two children were found dead Friday morning inside a burned SUV on San Antonio’s West Side, said they repeatedly warned police, Child Protective Services and other agencies that Vidal was in a mental health crisis and her children were in danger. 

Vidal, 34, of Edinburg, was arrested Friday and charged with two counts of capital murder of a child younger than 10 and one count of arson.

RELATED: Two children found dead in burned car on West Side

Two days earlier, Edinburg police were called to a Walmart after customers reported that Vidal was acting and speaking erratically, her sister Argelia Vidal told the San Antonio Express-News. Marlene had lighter fluid and a grill in her shopping cart, the sister said.

Edinburg police confirmed the encounter but said they had no basis at that time to take her into custody.

A San Antonio Police Department officer also spoke to Marlene by phone on Wednesday after family members asked police to check on her, a law enforcement source said. Officers had no legal basis to detain her after she told them she did not need help, according to the source.

Family members told the Express-News that Marlene's mental health began to decline nearly a year ago, when she suffered what appeared to be a psychotic episode, and that they spent months trying to persuade law enforcement and child welfare authorities to intervene for her and her children's safety. They said she had recently shaved her head. 

“We reached out to every agency we could, and they all failed us,” said Argelia, 45, who lives out of state.

“Now my sister’s going to get the help that she needs,” she said. “But the children are dead.”

The children's bodies were discovered after a resident walking a dog around 5 a.m. Friday saw a burning car in a warehouse parking lot in the 500 block of Richland Hills Drive in a mixed residential-industrial area on San Antonio's West Side. The person called 911. After firefighters put out the blaze, officers found the bodies of two children inside the vehicle, a white Hyundai Kona subcompact SUV.

Marlene Vidal was at the scene and spoke to police. She was booked into the Bexar County jail Friday night. During a brief hearing, she appeared to weep when a magistrate judge read aloud the capital murder charges. The magistrate set bail at $1 million for each capital murder count and $50,000 for the arson count. 

In a barely audible voice, Vidal requested a court-appointed attorney and asked when "the actual trial" would take place.

"A lot of factors that go into that," the magistrate replied.

If Vidal is able to post bond, under conditions set by the magistrate, she would be barred from having contact with children under 18 or possessing firearms, and she would have to remain under house arrest and receive mental health treatment.

Earlier Friday, SAPD officials said investigators believe Vidal was solely responsible for the children’s deaths based on statements she made, surveillance video and evidence recovered from the scene. She told investigators she was the children’s mother, police said.

The Bexar County Medical Examiner’s Office said it was trying to identify the children and determine the cause and manner of their deaths.

Relatives identified the two as 6-year-old Aleeza Vidal and 5-year-old Adrian Vidal.

Argelia Vidal said her sister Marlene suffered a psychotic episode in June 2025 while driving from Edinburg to San Antonio with her children.

A state trooper stopped her car near the Falfurrias checkpoint after she was reported to have been driving erratically, her sister said.

After that incident, CPS placed the children in San Antonio with her sister Irlanda Vidal, who cared for them for four to six weeks. Relatives repeatedly told authorities Marlene was mentally unsound and needed treatment, according to Argelia.

Eventually, CPS determined Marlene could resume caring for the children, the sister said, adding, “She was really, really good at saying, ‘No, no, I’m fine. I don’t need help.'"

“They asked us, ‘Has she threatened the kids?’” Argelia said of child welfare officials. “We’re like, ‘No, but we know they’re in danger because she’s out of it.’”

A spokesperson for the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services said the agency is investigating the case and offered no further comment.

Family members said their concerns about Marlene's mental state intensified over the past week. On Sunday, she traveled from Edinburg to San Antonio, a four-hour drive, to stay with the children at Irlanda's apartment.

On Wednesday morning, Marlene abruptly left with the children after saying that people were trying to take the boy and girl away from her and set the apartment on fire, Argelia said.

She then drove the 230 miles back to Edinburg. Later that day, Marlene was seen behaving strangely at a Walmart. Argelia said friends who saw her at the store reported that she approached customers, made alarming statements and asked police officers, "Who would you save first, me or my children?” 

“The Edinburg Police Department is aware of the tragic case in San Antonio,” department spokesperson Roxanne Lerma said in a statement. “Edinburg police officers made contact days prior with the subject involved in the case. At the time of the interaction, there was no basis to make an arrest or execute an emergency detention.”

After the incident in the Walmart, Marlene headed back to San Antonio with the children, arriving at Irlanda's apartment around 1 a.m. Thursday.

But in the meantime, relatives had grown frantic, not knowing where she and the children were. Argelia said they contacted SAPD and Edinburg police as well as Texas Department of Public Safety and Child Protective Services offices in both San Antonio and the Rio Grande Valley.

She said she personally called authorities at least 10 times on Wednesday. She said she told police and CPS that day that Marlene “was so bad” she had recently shaved off her hair.

Screenshots and call logs that Argelia showed to the Express-News indicate she made multiple calls on Wednesday to SAPD, Edinburg police and CPS.

An SAPD source said an officer spoke with Marlene by phone on Wednesday after the family requested that officers conduct a welfare check at Irlanda's apartment. The source said Marlene was not at the address provided by relatives.

“We sympathize with the family and understand their concerns," SAPD said in a statement Friday night. "As part of this investigation, we will review any prior incidents and our responses to ensure they were appropriate and consistent with the law and our policies.”

Before her mental health deteriorated, Marlene was a devoted mother who organized her life around her children, family members said. She found a customer service job with a bank that allowed her to work from home so she would not have to place the children in daycare. The children's father did not live with them.

“She loved those kids,” Argelia said.

Adrian, the younger child, had severe autism, was nonverbal and received therapy in the Rio Grande Valley, according to his aunt.

Aleeza, she said, constantly called relatives on FaceTime to show them chickens or a new puppy or share moments from her day.

“She was just a sweetheart, the sweetest little girl you could ever meet in your life,” Argelia said.

She said her sister Irlanda was too distraught to speak publicly about the deaths.

“She saw those kids as her own."