Shepparton, Paris Carpio-Woodley: Gruesome details emerge about woman set on fire during neighbourhood dispute as mum shares inside story about the horror: ‘Every time she looks at me, her eyes fill with tears’
WARNING: Graphic images
A distraught mother has revealed details of her daughter’s serious injuries after an accelerant was allegedly thrown on her head and set on fire.
Paris Carpio-Woodley, 20, was reportedly set on fire after an argument broke out outside a house in South Shepparton, north of Melbourne, at around 6.30pm on January 15.
She suffered burns to about half her body, including her lungs, and was taken to Prince Alfred Hospital in Melbourne in a critical condition before being put into an induced coma.
Her alleged attacker, 33-year-old mother Jordan Spencer, was also taken to hospital under police guard in a critical condition and has since been charged with attempted murder.
Ms 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 she looks at me her eyes fill with tears,” Ms Powell told Daily Mail Australia.
Paris Carpio-Woodley (pictured) had her ‘entire head’ set on fire after an alleged altercation outside a home in Shepparton, northern Victoria, on January 15
Recalling the night of the alleged attack, Ms Powell said a friend of her daughter told her she saw Ms Carpio-Woodley “on the side of the road and she had been burned”.
‘We were so panicked and didn’t know what was happening or if she would survive. It was really scary.’
The top half of Ms Carpio-Woodley’s body remains almost entirely wrapped in bandages as she recovers from horrific burns.
She underwent a skin graft and a tracheostomy tube was placed in her neck.
Doctors told the family there was a possibility Ms Carpio-Woodley would not survive from her injuries.
“She’s still not out of danger, it’s just a matter of making sure she doesn’t get any infections,” Ms Powell said.
“If she gets an infection and we can’t control it, the prospects aren’t good.”
Doctors slowly bring Ms Carpio-Woodley out of the coma so she can breathe on her own, but she often becomes “delusional and starts to get agitated”.
“They wake her up and then she’s very excited and confused and tries to kick her legs,” her mother said.
She suffered severe burns to the upper half of her body, including her lungs, and has been in an induced coma since (pictured)
Ms Carpio-Woodley’s mother said she cannot breathe on her own because the burns to her throat and lungs were too severe
Although Ms Carpio-Woodley appears to be starting to recover, she is far from fully recovered as she will need to undergo numerous surgeries in the near future, including the removal of her skin grafts.
‘She’s very, very weak, she has little strength in her arms, so she can’t communicate that way. She can only respond to what you say by shaking her head or moving,” Ms. Powell said.
“Sometimes she looks confused and looks right through you.”
She hopes Ms Carpio-Woodley can start breathing and communicating on her own before taking on the next challenge: healing the mental trauma of the alleged attack.
While the mother was by her daughter’s side every day, the 20-year-old’s younger siblings could only muster the strength to see her a few times due to her injuries.
Mrs Woodley said her teenage sister was plagued by nightmares.
The mother’s well-being has taken a hit from the emotional rollercoaster, but she remains strong for her daughter and family.
“I’m going through a lot of emotions, I’m going through anger and frustration and hatred and despair and sadness,” she said.
“And it’s all just trying to process what’s happening…I’m just tired.”
She said her daughter’s personality, known for being “very rambunctious, funny and cheerful all the time,” had been taken away by the alleged attack.
Ms. Carpio-Woodley’s family has a GoFundMe to ‘help our beautiful Paris in her 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 it was extinguished after firefighters used a nearby garden hose (photo, crime scene)
Neighbors who witnessed the incident reported that Ms Carpio-Woodley had argued with her alleged assaulter Spencer earlier that day, over an allegedly stolen e-bike.
They also claim the 20-year-old’s “entire head” was on fire.
Emergency services rushed to the scene and extinguished 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 – one of which occurred under circumstances of brute force – on January 31.
When she faced the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court that same day, her lawyer said she had suffered similar burns to much of her body and had only just woken up from an induced coma.
He argued that Spencer should be moved to a more comfortable place to help her with her pain and get her mental health checked.
“She’s a little lost in what’s really happening,” he said ABC reports.
No application for bail was made.
Spencer will appear at Shepparton Magistrates’ Court on June 11.