TRENTON, N.C. — A North Carolina mother is recovering after being severely burned by her on-again-off-again boyfriend after he doused her in nail polish remover and then lit her on fire, investigators said.
Melissa Cahoon was taken Sunday to a hospital, where she is being treated for burns covering her body, WCTI reported.
“Her eyebrows are burned off, her hair is singed and the back of her is real bad,” her mother, Ann Edwards said. “I thought I was going to lose my daughter.”
The Jones County Sheriff’s Office said Jeromy Wiggins, who Cahoon dated sporadically over the last four years, went to her house Sunday, poured the flammable liquid over her, threatened to burn her and then lit her on fire.
“He’s been beating on her for months. It got worse and worse. But this time, it got really bad because he set her on fire,” Edwards said. “He poured fingernail polish remover all over her and told her he was going to set her on fire. And that’s what he did. He held her down for a little bit and let her burn. When she finally did get up, he grabbed her from behind and let her burn some more before he let her go.”
A warrant was issued for Wiggins’ arrest, WITN reported. He faces charges of assault with a deadly weapon and inflicting serious injuries. Wiggins was previously convicted twice of assault against Cahoon, WCTI reported.
Edwards is grateful her daughter is alive.
“I hope they catch him,” Edwards said. “I hope they lock him up. I hope they don’t let him out on bond.”
Cox Media Group
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