Roconda Singleton, 46, was arraigned on a felony murder charge in Grand Rapids District Court on Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025. Singleton is accused of setting her home on fire while her three children were asleep inside. Her 12-year-old daughter died two days later from injuries suffered in the blaze. Bradley Massman | MLive.com

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 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."

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.

The mother who admitted to setting fire to her Grand Rapids home while her children were inside is facing an additional charge after her daughter died. (Jan. 29, 2025)

Officials arrested the woman, identified as Roconda Singleton, 46, on multiple charges in connection with the fire. A 12-year-old child was in critical condition at a hospital following the fire but two other children, ages 10 and 7, were treated and released over the weekend, according to authorities.

Shamiya Stewart, 12, died two days after a fire her mother allegedly admitted to setting off, per police. Shamiya's two younger siblings survived the fire.

A Grand Rapids mother faces arson charges after investigators say she set fire to her home with her children inside, sending one of her daughters to the hospital, where she later died.

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.