South Carolina mother sets car on fire after locking 14-month-old son inside, charged with attempted murder
COLUMBIA, GEORGIA: A South Carolina mother was arrested on the charges of attempted murder after her son got badly burned in a car that went up in flames, the Columbia Police Department said.
Caylin Watson, 23 was accused of intentionally setting fire to her car knowing her son, 14-month-old Kairon Bramsen, would be trapped inside. The victim is currently recovering at the Augusta Burn Center in Georgia. The toddler sustained burn injuries all over his body and remains in a critical condition.
After four good Samaritans who were driving by the area helped take the child out of a car which was engulfed in flames, Columbia police officers and firefighters responded to I-126 Westbound Sunday, May 17. The incident took place at 1:30 pm causing all of the westbound lanes on the major road to shut down near the exit for Greystone Boulevard and the Riverbanks Zoo and Gardens, according to the South Carolina Department of Transportation.
Authorities believed that the accused had intentionally set fire to the vehicle. While the firefighters worked to extinguish the flames, Watson was being detained by the police. she was first taken to a nearby hospital to her injuries treated and then transported to the Alvin S Glenn Detention Center. Jail records showed that the suspect was charged with first-degree arson, third-degree arson, and abuse/infliction of great bodily injury upon a child, in addition to the attempt to murder charges.
After her bond was denied, she was ordered to remain behind bars at the Richland County jail. According to The Slate, Watson was arrested on two traffic violations, less than a month ago, Richland County court records show. She was charged with driving under suspension, license not suspended for DUI, and driving a vehicle at a greater speed than is reasonable under the conditions on April 23. She was slapped with fines of $647.50 and $155 but is yet to pay the sums of money. Three years ago, Watson paid a $76.88 fine for speeding at 10 mph or less over the speed limit.
The motive behind the suspected attempted murder remains unclear, as the investigation continues into the matter. The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) is currently assisting in the crime scene investigation.
When Watson's former classmate from high school was interviewed by Fox News, she expressed shock at the charges against the accused. "It was just wild to me. I would've never expected anybody I knew to do something like that, especially not Caylin. I can't think of any sane person doing this especially to a child," Dallas Tenley said.
Although the family members of the victim have refused to speak on camera, they have said that Bramsen is "an amazing child with the most gorgeous blue eyes anyone has ever seen." They have set up a GoFundMe page for his surgery bills, which has so far raised $4,603 of their goal of $100,000. One of the recent updates on the fundraising page on May 19 read: "Kairon first surgery today went well a few of the burns were a little bit deeper than expected. His face will not suffer any scarring. Next surgery in a few days!"