Ep 7. Lost In The Fire

On The Case With Paula Zahn is a crime documentary series that explores some of the most infamous and puzzling murder cases in America. In each episode, award-winning journalist Paula Zahn presents a detailed account of the crime, its investigation, and the criminal justice system's efforts to bring the perpetrators to justice.

Season 5 episode 7, entitled Lost In The Fire, tells the story of a devastating fire that claimed the lives of three young children. The blaze broke out in the small town of Waukegan, Illinois, in the early hours of the morning on January 4, 2003. The victims, three-year-old twins, Celeste and Clements Flores, and their two-year-old brother, Christopher Flores, were trapped inside the burning house while their mother, Ana M. Rosas, managed to escape with minor injuries.

The fire was quickly extinguished, thanks to the prompt arrival of the firefighters, but the tragedy was far from over. The investigation into the cause of the fire revealed that it was arson, and the police soon turned their attention to the possibility that Ana Rosas had set the fire herself.

The suspicion against the young mother grew stronger when investigators discovered that she had a history of mental illness and had been hospitalised several times for depression. Furthermore, Ana's neighbours reported that she had been acting strangely in the weeks leading up to the fire, exhibiting signs of paranoia and claiming that someone was following her.

As the case unfolded and evidence mounted against Ana, her family and friends rallied to her defence, claiming that she loved her children and would never harm them. However, the weight of the evidence was against her, and in 2004 Ana was arrested and charged with murder and arson.

The trial that followed was a dramatic affair with both sides presenting compelling arguments. The prosecution argued that Ana had deliberately set fire to the house in a suicidal act, while the defence claimed that Ana had been attempting to save her children but was unable to reach them due to the intensity of the flames.

In the end, the jury found Ana guilty of murder and arson, and she was sentenced to 85 years in prison. However, the case did not end there. In the years that followed, new evidence came to light, including testimony from a witness who claimed to have seen an unknown man fleeing the scene of the fire.

The new information led to a retrial, and in 2011 Ana's conviction was overturned by the Illinois Appellate Court. The court ruled that Ana's defence had not been given the opportunity to present evidence of an alternate suspect, and that there was not sufficient evidence to convict her.

The case of the Flores children remains unsolved, and their killer remains at large. Lost In The Fire is a heart-wrenching episode that explores the tragic consequences of a crime that destroyed a family and shattered a community. Paula Zahn's empathetic and objective approach to the case brings an emotional and thought-provoking dimension to the story, and leaves viewers with a sense of unanswered questions and a desire for justice.