A mother of four is accused of hearing her children’s cries while watching their home burn on CCTV and choosing to abandon them, as stated in court. Shania Lee, 25, is charged with two counts of negligent manslaughter and one count of negligently causing serious injury for allegedly leaving her three children, Izabel, 5, Kalais, 3, and Lyvia, 2, inside the burning house.
Firefighters rescued the unconscious children from the property after neighbors raised the alarm on September 8 last year. The family had recently moved into the house. Witnesses reported hearing the children screaming as they were trapped in the blaze for about an hour, fighting for their lives.
Despite being rescued and taken to the Royal Children’s Hospital, Izabel and Lyvia tragically succumbed to their injuries, while Kalais survived after being placed in a medically induced coma. Lee, who was released on bail, has a fourth child who was not present during the incident in Sydenham, Melbourne.
During a court hearing, Detective Senior Constable Christopher Mitchell stated that he believed Lee was aware of the fire when she drove away from the home. The fire is suspected to have originated in the couple’s bedroom before they left. Police alleged that Lee and her partner left the children alone in the house to go “steal a car door” for her Jeep.
Investigations suggest that Lee may have watched the CCTV footage of the incident and heard the children screaming while the fire raged. Although Lee refused to provide a statement and was uncooperative with the police, her lawyer argued that there is no evidence proving she knew the severity of the situation.
Despite being granted bail, Lee has a history of failing to appear in court and committing offenses while on bail. Concerns have been raised about her alleged drug use, access to illegal firearms, and pending charges related to other criminal activities. She is scheduled to appear in court next year.