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, MI – A woman has been charged with arson and child abuse for a house fire she allegedly set that killed one of her three daughters. Roconda Singleton, 46, appeared for a virtual arraignment Tuesday, Jan. 28, and was charged with first-degree arson and three counts of second-degree child abuse.

The mother told Grand Rapids officials she removed all the smoke alarms before setting the house on fire while her three daughters were asleep.

The mother accused with intentionally setting her home on fire with her three daughters inside told investigators, "I did it."

A western Michigan woman is accused of setting a house fire that killed her 12-year-old daughter who was trapped in a bedroom

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)

A Grand Rapids woman is in custody after one of her three children died in a fire that police said she deliberately set over the weekend. Officials said first responders were called at about 7:20 a.m.

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.

A house is engulfed in flames shooting out in all directions. Trapped inside the burning Grand Rapids, Michigan home was a 12-year-old girl. Police released the heartbreaking body camera video of an officer asking the mom where her daughter's bedroom was so firefighters could save her.