No one knows who did it or the motivation, but a local North Carolina sheriff calls it one of the most office crimes his department has ever investigated. What was to be a simple trip to the store turned into a harrowing situation for Ashanti Downey, 20, who was doused with gasoline by an unknown assailant and then set on fire. The attack took place in Harnett County. Downey is now fighting for her life, being transferred to a burn center where she’s undergone multiple surgeries for the second and third-degree burns on her body. Local authorities remain “mystified” regarding this attempted homicide and the reasons behind it (via NY Post):
HORRIFIC: A 20-year-old North Carolina woman is fighting for her life after she was SET ON FIRE while walking to the store, cops say they have no leads in the case pic.twitter.com/VnVAt7HzeA
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) December 26, 2024
Ashanti Downey, 20, was rushed to the emergency room the night of Dec. 16 with second-and third-degree burns down the right side of her body, according to WRAL News in Raleigh-Durham.
Staffers at Central Carolina Hospital in Sanford called the Harnett County Sheriff’s Office at about 7 p.m. to report the horrific act, which happened as Downey walked along Highway 27 toward a Dollar General in the same town.
That’s when an unidentified man came up behind her, dumped gas all over her and lit a cigarette that sparked the blaze, Downey told investigators.
[…]
In a Christmas Day update, Davis wrote that her daughter will be going through a third surgery soon.
The money raised will help the family offset the cost of those surgeries, as well as treatment and rehab, she added.
Harnett County Sheriff Wayne Coats said this was one of the most heinous crimes his department has ever seen.
“It’s just a nightmare for this family,” he said, adding that cops are still searching for a motive.
“It could have been domestic-related,” he said. “It could have been a gang initiation. We’re mystified by what’s happened.”
There’s a GoFundMe page for the family that, as of writing this post, has raised over $30,000.
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