A pregnant woman has been attacked by her boyfriend and forced to deliver her baby seven weeks early after he doused her in flammable liquid and set her on fire, according to police.
Andrea Grinage, 30, was found with critical burns over much of her body around 11.45am Friday in Capitol Heights, Maryland, when police and fire crews responded to reports of a fire.
Grinage was forced into labor by the horrific trauma and gave birth to a baby girl, named Journey Aleah, seven weeks early. Mother and baby are both recovering.
She was already the mother of two boys, ages 8 and 15, her father Arthur Grinage Sr said in an appeal for help on a GoFundMe campaign.
Andrea Grinage, 30, was found with critical burns over much of her body around 11.45am Friday in Capitol Heights, Maryland. She delivered her baby seven weeks early
Grinage was discovered when fire crews responded to a fire at her apartment complex
Grinage lost everything in the fire, which started when her boyfriend doused her in an accelerant and set her on fire, her father said
‘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 father wrote.
The suspect in the vile assault is believed to be the father of the newborn baby.
Arthur Grinage Sr said that the incident 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,’ the dad told WJLA.
‘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.’
The victim’s father said her boyfriend had attacked her and set her on fire because he was not ready for the responsibility of being a dad
Before giving birth to a baby girl on Friday, Grinage was already the mother of two boys ages 8 and 15 (pictured), her father Arthur Grinage Sr said in an appeal for help on GoFundMe
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 were able to get the suspect on the phone and talk him into turning himself in.
The suspect has not yet been publicly identified by law enforcement.
Cops praised Grinage for maintaining her composure for the sake of her new daughter, who is healthy and doing well.
‘These are not the circumstances under which this baby was to be born,’ Prince George’s County police spokeswoman Jennifer Donelan told NBC Washington.
‘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,’ Donelan said.