A young North Carolina woman was doused in gasoline and set on fire by a sick suspect who then fled — leaving her heartbroken mother wondering, “How could they do this to my baby?”
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.
She was later moved to a local burn center, where she was listed in critical but stable condition with burns over nearly three-quarters of her body, according to the network and a GoFundMe set up by the family.
“How could they do this to my baby?” Donecia Davis, her distraught mom, told WRAL. “You didn’t have to do this to her.”
In the online fundraiser — which had raised more than $20,000 as of Thursday — Davis wrote that her daughter would be celebrating her 21st birthday on New Year’s Day.
“Due to the hatred of an individual or individuals, her life will be forever changed,” Davis wrote.
“No parent should have to see their child in the condition my daughter is in,” she said. “I am making her my top priority and have been by her side at the hospital since this incident occurred.”
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.”
David, meanwhile, is hoping someone comes forward.
“Someone tell the truth,” she said. “You saw it.”
Authorities asked anyone with information to call Det. Ronald Beasley at 910-893-0151, the Harnett County Sheriff’s Office at 910-893-9111, the tip line at 910-893-0300, or submit a tip at P3Tips.com.
