OKLAHOMA CITY, OK -- We have new information involving a brutal attack from earlier this week. That's when police say a man set his ex-wife on fire in front of their three children. The victim is still in intensive care and her family says she will be there for at least another month. Twenty-eight-year-old Laura Miller is sedated and her relatives say they're doing all they can to care for her three young daughters.
"I can see in the oldest one's face. I know she witnessed it and the youngest one witnessed it," Joe Beal said. "I know she is hurt by it, but she really doesn't talk about it."
Joe Beal is speaking out for them; his aunt Laura Miller, the girls' mother, is sedated in intensive care with severe burns on nearly half of her body after her ex-husband, George Rodriguez, poured gasoline on her and set her on fire.
"I couldn't stop crying whenever I found out and then when I saw her at the hospital, that hurt a lot," Beal said.
He says Laura and Rodriguez split last year while living in New Mexico; that's when Laura took the girls and headed to Oklahoma.
"When they split up, he didn't take that very well," Beal said.
No one ever imagined he'd turn on the mother of his own children.
"It's been pretty tough, she was a really good person," Beal said. "She did anything she could to help anybody and now it's our turn to help her."
Beal, along with Laura's brother, is taking care of the girls who are 3, 7, and 10 years of age.
Beal says DHS told them they have 24 hours to find a four bedroom home or the girls will be taken into state custody.
"They're putting ridiculous stipulations on what we have to do," he said.
It's a tough order for the family, but there is one thing of which they are certain.
"It's good to know that he is in jail," Beal said. "He's not going to get out. I sleep better knowing that."
We talked to DHS and asked them about the requirement that the family find a four-bedroom home in the next 24 hours.
Although they can't comment on individual cases, they did tell us there are several factors they look at when deciding where to place children.
They say they give first consideration to relatives when making placements, but they require that each child must have their own bed.
They say they ultimately make the decision that's best for the children.
"I can see in the oldest one's face. I know she witnessed it and the youngest one witnessed it," Joe Beal said. "I know she is hurt by it, but she really doesn't talk about it."
Joe Beal is speaking out for them; his aunt Laura Miller, the girls' mother, is sedated in intensive care with severe burns on nearly half of her body after her ex-husband, George Rodriguez, poured gasoline on her and set her on fire.
"I couldn't stop crying whenever I found out and then when I saw her at the hospital, that hurt a lot," Beal said.
He says Laura and Rodriguez split last year while living in New Mexico; that's when Laura took the girls and headed to Oklahoma.
"When they split up, he didn't take that very well," Beal said.
No one ever imagined he'd turn on the mother of his own children.
"It's been pretty tough, she was a really good person," Beal said. "She did anything she could to help anybody and now it's our turn to help her."
Beal, along with Laura's brother, is taking care of the girls who are 3, 7, and 10 years of age.
Beal says DHS told them they have 24 hours to find a four bedroom home or the girls will be taken into state custody.
"They're putting ridiculous stipulations on what we have to do," he said.
It's a tough order for the family, but there is one thing of which they are certain.
"It's good to know that he is in jail," Beal said. "He's not going to get out. I sleep better knowing that."
We talked to DHS and asked them about the requirement that the family find a four-bedroom home in the next 24 hours.
Although they can't comment on individual cases, they did tell us there are several factors they look at when deciding where to place children.
They say they give first consideration to relatives when making placements, but they require that each child must have their own bed.
They say they ultimately make the decision that's best for the children.
