'How could they do this to my baby?': Man held on $1 million bond for setting woman on fire

The Harnett County Sheriff’s Office on Friday arrested and charged a man they say poured gasoline on a woman and set her on fire.

At approximately 6:55 p.m., on Dec. 16, officers received a 911 call from a staff member at Central Carolina Hospital in Sanford regarding a burn victim.

Deputies and investigators determined that 20-year-old Ashanti Downey had been brought to the emergency room with second- and third-degree burns on the right side of her body.

On Friday, Harnett County Sheriff's Office investigators arrested 23-year-old Jami Raiziah Griffin and charged him with attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury and assault on a female.

Griffin appeared in court Monday and is being held on $1 million bond. 

Donecia Davis, the mother of Downey, can not believe this has happened. 

"How could they do this to my baby?" Davis said. "You didn't have to do this to her." 

Downey was later taken to a local burn center, where she is listed in critical but stable condition.

Davis says her daughter told authorities she was walking along Highway 27 toward the Dollar General in Sanford when someone approached her from behind, poured a flammable liquid on her, and set her on fire.

"It's just a nightmare for this family," Wayne Coats, Harnett County sheriff said. 

Harnett County Sheriff Wayne Coats says it was one of the most heinous crime's his department has investigated.

Downey's mother told WRAL News looking for justice and praying for her daughter's recovery.

"I'm hearing, someone tell the truth. You saw it," Davis said. 

A GoFundMe page has been created to assist with Downey's medical expenses. 

Griffin is being held at the Harnett County Detention Center under no bond.

Anyone with information is urged to contact Detective 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.