A suspect was taken into custody in Sampson County, North Carolina, after authorities said a woman with serious burns reported that a man forced his way into her home, doused her with gasoline and set her on fire. The arrest followed an investigation of a structure fire in Roseboro late Saturday, where first responders found the woman with burns covering about two-thirds of her body, the Sampson County Sheriff’s Office said.
The sheriff’s office said the woman told investigators that the suspect left the scene on a bicycle after the attack. She was taken to a trauma center for treatment, and the agency did not disclose her condition. The case then progressed as law enforcement sought the suspect and connected the reported assault to the ongoing fire investigation.
Deputies and firefighters were called to the structure fire on Saturday night in Roseboro, a small community about 65 miles (105 kilometers) south of Raleigh, the state capital. After finding the woman injured, authorities continued responding as the investigation moved from the fire scene to the alleged assault that the woman reported.
On Monday, the sheriff’s office said authorities arrested the suspect without incident. The agency said the suspect was located in a wooded area behind a residence and was taken into custody there. In a statement, the sheriff’s office said law enforcement served warrants on the man on several charges.
The sheriff’s office said the warrants included attempted murder and first-degree arson. The arrest resolved the search for the suspect that began after the woman’s account of what happened at her home, according to an earlier MSI report on the sheriff’s search for the man. MSI previously reported that the sheriff was seeking a suspect after the woman said a man set her on fire.