Her family called for help. They called the cops. They called child welfare. All of that came before her two kids died.

Marlene Vidal is 34. She is from Edinburg. Her son was 5. Her daughter was 6. Both were found dead on May 15. They were inside a burning car in San Antonio. Police found the car behind a warehouse on Richland Hills Drive. It was around 5 a.m.

This is an update to a story El Tejano first reported earlier. We wrote on September 4 about her first day in court. You can read that story here: https://www.eltejanorgv.com/edinburg-mom-in-court-as-san-antonio-weighs-the-death-penalty/

The news now is not the arrest. It is what came before it.

CPS stands for Child Protective Services. It is the state agency that looks into child abuse and neglect. Days after the kids died, CPS said one short thing. It said the agency "has been involved with the family of Marlene Vidal, 34." KSAT reported that.

CPS did not say more. It did not say when it went out. It did not say what it found. It did not say what it decided. The agency said it will put out a child fatality report. That report comes out when the case is closed. It is not out yet.

Edinburg police also had contact with Vidal. That was days before the kids died. The department said there was no basis to arrest her. It said there was no basis for an emergency detention either. That is a short mental health hold. KSAT reported that too.

Her family says they saw it coming. Relatives told the San Antonio Express-News they called both child welfare and the cops. They said she had a psychotic episode last year. They said she became a danger to her kids. TPR reported that.

A friend told KSAT much the same. Frances Ramos said Vidal told her she was in a mental hospital a year before. Ramos said Vidal was not sleeping in the days before the deaths. "She was hearing things, seeing things, she hadn't slept," Ramos said. Ramos said Vidal was in a psychosis two days before. She said Vidal's sisters called CPS that same week.

The kids stayed with her the whole time. A Hidalgo County judge gave Vidal sole custody. That order was filed earlier this year. Fox San Antonio reported it. The kids' dad got Sunday visits with a person watching. He got video calls too. That Fox San Antonio report did not mention her mental health.

Here is the honest part. CPS has not said it looked at these kids and left them. Nothing made public so far ties the agency to the deaths. The agency has not told the public what it did or when. Until that report comes out, the hole stays.

One expert did speak up. Carrie Wilcoxon works as a CPS consultant. She told News 4 San Antonio the case "should have been assessed as a priority one." She said the ages of the kids and the history called for it. "Did they even attempt to make contact?" she asked.

A grand jury indicted Vidal on August 6. She faces seven counts. Two are capital murder of a child under 10. One is capital murder of more than one person. Two are injury to a child. One is arson. One is tampering with a body.

Capital murder is the top charge in Texas. It can mean life in prison with no parole. It can also mean the death penalty. Prosecutors have not picked yet. A judge asked them on September 2. They said not at this time.

The medical examiner ruled both deaths homicides. The indictment says the kids were cut and stabbed. San Antonio Assistant Police Chief Jesus Salame Jr. said the evidence points to Vidal alone. He pointed to her own words, to video, and to what police found there.

Vidal sits in the Bexar County jail. Her bond is $1 million. Her next court date is November 12.

El Tejano also wrote about her seven charges in August. You can read that story here: https://www.eltejanorgv.com/edinburg-mom-indicted-on-7-felony-charges-after-her-two-kids-died-in-a-burning-suv/

A charge is not proof. Everyone is innocent until a court says otherwise.