Mom put bag on 3-year-old’s head and tied him up before fire, California cops say
A Southern California mother faces charges after she was accused of tying up her 3-year-old son’s hands and putting a plastic bag over his head before a house fire Sunday.
The mother, 47-year-old Maricela Magana Ruiz of Santa Paula, was booked on felony child endangerment charges at the Ventura County Jail, police said in a news release on Monday.
Santa Paula officers responded to the fire around 6 p.m. Sunday after a 911 call that “a woman was tied to a bed and a young boy was in another part of the home,” police said.
Ventura County firefighters rescued the boy and woman and put out the fire, which was in the downstairs living room, according to police. The woman tied up in the home was Magana Ruiz, the mother accused of tying up her son, the Ventura County Star reported.
The newspaper described the location of the fire as a two-story apartment complex, reporting that the fire also displaced a 70-year-old man.
Police said Magana Ruiz’s arrest came “after lengthy interviews” with her.
“Her motive is unknown and the investigation is ongoing,” police said, adding that the investigation into the origin of the fire is also ongoing.
She’s being held on $50,000 bail, according to police.
Magana Ruiz and her son were both taken to Santa Paula Hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation, police said.
This story was originally published December 2, 2019 at 6:14 PM with the headline "Mom put bag on 3-year-old’s head and tied him up before fire, California cops say."
