Man douses woman in gasoline and sets her ablaze just weeks before her 21st birthday, cops say

Ashanti Downey sustained third degree burns on 70 percent of her body following the horrific attack on December 16

Ashanti Downey was attacked on December 16, when a man approached her from behind, doused her in gasoline and set her on fire (Donecia Davis/ GoFundMe)

A North Carolina man has been charged with attempted murder after allegedly dousing a woman in gasoline and setting her on fire, just weeks before her 21st birthday.

Ashanti Downey sustained third degree burns on 70 percent of her body following the horrific attack on December 16 and remains in critical condition in hospital.

Downey’s mother, Donecia Davis, said her daughter had been walking towards the Dollar General in Sanford, North Carolina, when someone approached her from behind, poured a flammable liquid on her, and set her on fire.

On Friday police arrested 23-year-old Jami Griffin over the incident, where he was charged with attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury and assault on a female.

23-year-old Jami Griffin was arrested and charged with attempted murder following the horrific incident (Harnett County Sheriff’s Office)

He was due to appear in court on Monday.

Police believe that Griffin and Downey may have been living together at the time of the incident, CBS17 reported. Investigators had previously entertained the idea that others were involved, but this is no longer the case, according to the outlet.

Harnett County Sheriff Wayne Coats described the attack as one of the most “heinous” crimes his department has ever investigated. “It’s just a nightmare for this family,” he told WRAL.

According to Downey’s family, their daughter’s life was “forever changed” in the attack. “She was brutally attacked by an assailant, and the investigation is currently ongoing,” Davis wrote on a GoFundMe page.

In an update on December 27, Downey’s mother said she was in a ‘critical but stable condition’ and had been taken off a ventilator (Donecia Davis/ GoFundMe)

“My daughter will be celebrating her 21st birthday on January 1, 2025, and due to the hatred of an individual or individuals, her life will be forever changed. No parent should have to see their child in the condition my daughter is in.”

In an update on December 27, Davis said that her daughter was in a “critical but stable condition” and had been taken off a ventilator.

The 20-year-old can move her limbs and is able to talk, and is due to undergo another surgery next Monday, Davis said. “She is still fighting and she said she appreciates all the love and donations as she journeys through her fight,” she wrote.

As of Monday, the page had raised over $100,000.