Slippers human torch succumbs

Dec 08, 2013 News

The mother of four who was set alight by her stepbrother over a pair of slippers almost three weeks ago at ‘D’ Field Sophia, succumbed to her injuries around 12:30 hrs yesterday in the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC)’s Burns Care Unit.
Samantha Schwartz, 38, of Corentyne, Berbice and Section D, South Sophia was doused with a flammable substance and then set alight by stepbrother, Brian Haywood, on November 21, last.

Dead: Samantha Schwartz

Haywood, a cobbler, had accused his sister of stealing a pair of slippers from his shop. He reportedly threw a liquid on her and then used his cigarette lighter to start the fire, then he escaped.
He was eventually caught by police two Sundays ago and was remanded to prison until January 20, 2014.
Yesterday, when Kaieteur News visited the hospital, Schwartz’s husband, Joel Felix, said that he received a call from his wife’s sister yesterday, informing him about Schwartz’s death. He explained that he spoke to his wife Friday night and she sounded “ok.”
“She asked me to buy some things for the house and to paint the house for the holiday and she tell me to buy a juice for her today (yesterday) when I coming to see her but I come and she is dead,” Felix stressed.
Sonia Schwartz, the dead woman’s sister said that she was the first person who found out that her sister passed away. “I went to the hospital and I see she lying straight. I keep calling for her but she didn’t answer so I called the nurse and she told me that (Samantha) just passed away.”
A friend of the now dead woman, Julian Adams, told this publication that she visited Schwartz early yesterday and she seemed to be in good health.
“When I go this morning (yesterday) I asked her if she drink tea and she said no so I made a cup for her and then she asked for another cup. When I was leaving, she asked me to stay back a little more with her so I stayed and help cleaned her skin and so,” Adams stressed.