Man Charged with Attempted Murder After Allegedly Dousing Woman in Gasoline and Setting Her on Fire: ‘Just a Nightmare’

Mar. 15, 2025

Ashanti Downey.Photo:gofundme

gofundme

A North Carolina man was arrested after allegedly setting a woman — whom police say the suspect lived with — on fire.

The 20-year-old victim, Ashanti Downey, was taken to the emergency room with third-degree burns on the right side of her body after she had been walking in Sanford near Barbecue Church Road when someone doused her with gasoline and set her on fire, the sheriff’s office said, per the outlets.

The Harnett County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment on the incident.

In aGoFundMeset up to pay for Downey’s medical expenses, her mother shared that her daughter was set to celebrate her 21st birthday on Jan. 1 and wrote that “her life will be forever changed.”

The fundraiser has surpassed its $75,000 goal, raising more than $88,000 as of Dec. 28 thanks to more than 2,000 donors so far.

Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up forPEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletterfor breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.

Prior to the arrest, Harnett County Sheriff Wayne Coats said the incident was “just a nightmare for this family.”

Griffin was transported to the Harnett County Detention Center. He is scheduled to appear in court on Monday, Dec. 30.

source: people.com