SUICIDE

‘Vodka Mom’ Dies After Setting Self Ablaze

Nancy Grace segment may have contributed.

A 29-year-old Minnesota woman died in a St. Paul hospital Saturday night, five days after lighting herself on fire in her mother’s backyard. Last month Toni Medrano had been charged with two counts of manslaughter for drunkenly rolling over onto her 1-year-old son on Nov. 22, asphyxiating him. She admitted to drinking a fifth of vodka before passing out. A week after charges were leveled against Medrano, Nancy Grace featured the story on the CNN show she hosts. During the segment she called Medrano “vodka mom” and poured nine glasses of liquor to demonstrate how much Medrano had drunk. According to Medrano’s sister, Medrano watched the segment and was “shaking and couldn't take a breath” as she did so.