Woman identified in arson attack in northwest Miami-Dade, leaving 80% of man's body critically burned
A central Florida woman was arrested after Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office deputies said she doused a man in accelerant and set him on fire following an argument Saturday evening in northwest Miami-Dade, leaving him with severe burns across most of his body.
Tanisha Shelton, 45, is facing charges of attempted first-degree murder and arson causing great bodily harm, according to her arrest report.
Deputies and Miami-Dade Fire Rescue crews were called at around 6:02 p.m. Saturday to Northwest 63rd Street and Northwest 25th Avenue after reports that a person had been set on fire. They found an unconscious, burned man, later identified by MDSO as Nathaniel Devon Mathis, 33.
First responders found the male victim suffering from significant burn injuries. He was rushed to Jackson Memorial Hospital's Ryder Trauma Center, where medical staff determined he sustained second- and third-degree burns across at least 80% of his body. Officials stated the victim remains in extremely critical condition and is not expected to survive, according to the report.
Witnesses told investigators that Shelton and Mathis had engaged in a verbal altercation earlier in the day. During the argument, Shelton allegedly threatened that she would leave and return with someone to assault him.
Shelton left the area and returned several hours later, carrying a white plastic bucket containing an unknown liquid accelerant, which was enclosed in a plastic bag, according to the report.
The report also said that she asked a witness to borrow a lighter and then walked up to Mathis and resumed the verbal argument. She then poured the accelerant over him and set him on fire before running away.
The witness chased Shelton and sprayed her with pepper spray to try to prevent her from fleeing, according to authorities.
Shelton was located after witnesses gave deputies a physical description of her, noting that she was wearing a brown dress and purple sneakers. She was found nearby and was arrested without incident while still wearing the matching clothing.
Shelton was then transported to the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office Homicide Bureau, where, according to the report, she invoked her right to legal counsel.
She is now behind bars at Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, where she was booked early Sunday morning. According to the corrections website, her bond for the attempted murder charge was set at $10,000, while the arson charge's bond is listed as "to be set."