Authorities were investigating a woman’s story that she was assaulted by someone who set her shirt on fire, causing what Athens-Clarke County police called “a very significant burn.”
Police were contacted Sept. 19 by a nurse at St. Mary’s Hospital who said a patient was possibly the victim of an assault. The victim reportedly told police she was homeless and primarily living out of her car when she met another woman who invited her to stay at her home in Athens.
According to police, the woman said when she invited a male guest over to where she was then staying, the other woman got jealous and they began arguing. The arguing continued after the male left, and at one point the victim’s host put a cigarette lighter to the victim’s shirt, setting it on fire, police said.
The victim said she tried to extinguish the flames, and had to remove her shirt to put the fire out, according to police.
The victim would not provide police with the names of the suspect or the male visitor.