A man, who did not want to be a dad, doused his pregnant girlfriend in flammable liquid and set her on fire, forcing her to deliver her baby seven weeks premature.
Andrea Grinage, 30, was found with critical burns over much of her body around 11.45am on Friday in Capitol Heights, Maryland, when police and fire crews responded to reports of a fire. She soon went into labour forced by the horrific trauma and gave birth to a baby girl, named Journey Aleah, seven weeks early. Mother and baby are both recovering.
Andrea Grinage was able to tell investigators who had attacked her, and said that she suspected he was headed to Washington DC to attack other members of her family. Detectives suceeded in getting the suspect on the phone and talked him into turning himself in. The suspect has not yet been publicly identified by law enforcement.
The victim was already the mother of two boys, ages 8 and 15. Her father Arthur Grinage Sr said she lost everything in the fire which started when her boyfriend doused her in an accelerant and set her on fire. He is appealing for help on a GoFundMe campaign to help his daughter start over.
Arthur Grinage Sr wrote in the GoFundMe appeal: “Everything was lost in the fire and she must begin a new with your help. She has a long road to recovery and unknown medical cost. PLEASE stop domestic violence!!”
The victim’s father said that the attack stemmed from the pregnancy and the boyfriend’s immature attitude towards fatherhood.
“It all stems from him not wanting to take responsibility of him being a newborn dad. He didn’t want that. And once a baby is conceived it’s too late for all that. You either step up and be a dad or you walk away.”
Cops praised Grinage for maintaining her composure for the sake of her new daughter, who is healthy and doing well.
Prince George’s County police spokeswoman Jennifer Donelan told NBC Washington: “These are not the circumstances under which this baby was to be born. She was very brave. We want her family to know how brave she was, suffering as badly as she was – critically burned, worried about her unborn child, dealing with those injuries and was able to share that information with us so that we could get moving with our investigation and locate this person.”
