WARNING: Graphic images
A distraught mother has revealed details of her daughter’s serious injuries after accelerant was allegedly poured on her head and set on fire.
Paris Carpio-Woodley, 20, was allegedly set on fire after an argument broke out outside a house in South Shepparton, north of Melbourne, about 6.30pm on January 15.
She received burns to about half her body, including her lungs, and was airlifted to Prince Alfred Hospital in Melbourne in a critical condition before being placed in an induced coma.
Her alleged attacker, mother Jordan Spencer, 33, was also airlifted to hospital in critical condition under police guard and has since been charged with attempted murder.
Carpio-Woodley’s mother, Kylie Powell, said her daughter can only communicate by nodding slightly or shaking her head during brief moments of consciousness.
“Every time he looks at me, his eyes fill with tears,” Powell told Daily Mail Australia.
Paris Carpio-Woodley (pictured) had her “whole head” set on fire after an alleged argument outside a house in Shepparton, northern Victoria, on January 15.
Recalling the night of the alleged attack, Powell said a friend of her daughter told her she saw Carpio-Woodley “on the side of the road and that she had been burned.”
“We were very panicked and didn’t know what was happening or if she was going to survive. It was really scary.”
The upper half of Carpio-Woodley’s body remains almost completely wrapped in bandages as she recovers from horrific burns.
He underwent skin graft surgery and had a tracheostomy tube inserted into his neck.
Doctors told the family there was a chance Carpio-Woodley would not survive his injuries.
“He’s not out of the woods yet, it’s just a matter of making sure he doesn’t get infections,” Powell said.
“If you get an infection and we can’t control it, that doesn’t have a good outlook.”
Doctors are slowly bringing Carpio-Woodley out of a coma so she can breathe on her own, but she often “becomes delirious and becomes agitated.”
“They wake her up and then she’s very agitated and confused, trying to kick her legs,” her mother said.
He suffered severe burns to the upper half of his body, including his lungs, and has since been in an induced coma (pictured).
Carpio-Woodley’s mother said she can’t breathe on her own because the burns to her throat and lungs were too severe.
While Ms Carpio-Woodley appears to be starting to recover, she is still a long way from being completely healed, as she faces numerous operations in the near future, including the removal of her skin grafts.
“He is very, very weak, he has little strength in his arms, so he can’t communicate that way… he can only respond to what you say by shaking or moving his head,” Ms Powell said.
“Sometimes she seems confused and looks directly at you.”
She hopes Carpio-Woodley can begin to breathe on her own and communicate before facing the next challenge of healing the mental trauma of the alleged attack.
While the mother has been by her daughter’s side every day, the 20-year-old’s younger siblings have only been able to muster the strength to see her a handful of times due to their injuries.
Woodley said her teenage sister has been plagued by nightmares.
The mother’s well-being has been affected by the emotional roller coaster, but she remains strong for her daughter and her family.
“I go through a lot of emotions, I go through anger, frustration, hatred, despair and sadness,” he said.
“And it’s all spinning around to process what’s happening… I’m just tired.”
She said her daughter’s personality, known for being “very boisterous, fun and happy all the time”, had been stripped away by the alleged attack.
Mrs. Carpio-Woodley’s family has established a GoFundMe to “help our beautiful Paris on its recovery journey.”
Victoria Police allege 33-year-old mother Jordan Spencer (pictured) lit the flame and charged her with attempted murder.
Neighbors reported seeing Ms Carpio-Woodley’s “entire head” on fire before being put out after firefighters used a nearby garden hose (pictured, crime scene).
Neighbors who witnessed the incident reported that Carpio-Woodley had argued with her alleged attacker, Spencer, over an electric bicycle that was allegedly stolen earlier that day.
They also claim the 20-year-old’s “whole head” was on fire.
Emergency services attended the scene and put out the fire with a nearby garden hose before finding Spencer nearby shortly afterwards.
Spencer was charged with attempted murder and two counts of intentionally causing serious injury, including one in circumstances of serious violence, on January 31.
Earlier that day, in Melbourne Magistrates Court, her defense lawyer said she had also suffered burns to much of her body and had just woken up from an induced coma.
He argued that Spencer should be moved to a more comfortable location to help her with her pain and manage her mental health.
“She’s a little lost in what’s really going on,” he said, the ABC reports.
No bail application was made.
Spencer is due to appear at Shepparton Magistrates Court on June 11.