SAN MARCOS, Texas — Adventurous, funny and a smart wit – that's how Ginger Kesterson describes her son, James Miranda, who was working at a Discount Tire store in 2018 while living at the Iconic Village Apartments.
"He was fun. We had the perfect relationship," Kesterson said.
The same can be said for Cheryl Estes' relationship with her son, Dru Estes.
"Our other kids are his, mine and ours. And Dru was our only son together, and he loved us," Cheryl Estes said.
Both moms were devoted to their sons, and both continue to grieve their losses after both died in the Iconic Village fire in San Marcos five years ago.
Kesterson never got the chance to identify her son's body, left with just his ashes and a photo of him for his memorial.
"They told me it was something I did not want to see, so they identified him positively through his dental," Kesterson said. "I lost it, I completely lost it again. 'Oh, my God. What am I going to do with my other two children? How am I going to stand strong for them?'"
Cheryl Estes knew she lost her son when he didn't call her, saying he died "peacefully" in his sleep.
After arrest documents for 30-year-old Jacobe Ferguson revealed that a mattress fire led to the blaze, these moms say they want justice for their children.
"I'm pissed because it was stupid and it's senseless. And five kids lost their lives," Cheryl Estes said.
Both families will be featured in a documentary called "The Weight of Ashes," which is being created by Brian Kyle "BK" Frizzell, the brother of victim Ashley Frizzell. Now that an arrest has been made and charges have been filed, BK Frizzell's hope is to show people their actions have consequences.
Police say the fire was set intentionally, but there were also safety concerns in the complex that led to legal action after the fire.
According to KVUE's media partners at the Austin American-Statesman, the owners and managers of the Iconic Village Apartments reached a settlement with some of the victims’ families in 2021.
They sued for wrongful death and gross negligence. The lawsuit claimed unsafe conditions at the apartment complex, like a lack of fire sprinklers and faulty fire alarms, led to injuries and deaths.
At the time of the fire, the complex was not required to have sprinklers because it was built in 1970.