MIAMI, FL — A woman from central Florida has been arrested after Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office deputies say she doused a man with accelerant and set him on fire during a Saturday evening confrontation in northwest Miami-Dade.
The victim, Nathaniel Devon Mathis, 33, was rushed to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center with life-threatening injuries. Medical staff determined he had second- and third-degree burns across at least 80% of his body, and officials said he remains in extremely critical condition and is not expected to survive.
Investigators say the incident followed an argument that escalated into violence after the woman left the area and came back later that day. Tanisha Shelton, 45, is facing charges of attempted first-degree murder and arson causing great bodily harm.
Deputies and fire crews found the victim after reports of a person burning
Authorities were called to Northwest 63rd Street and Northwest 25th Avenue at about 6:02 p.m. Saturday after reports that someone had been set on fire. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue crews and sheriff’s deputies responded to the scene together.
When they arrived, they found an unconscious man suffering from severe burns. He was later identified by the sheriff’s office as Mathis. First responders quickly transported him for emergency treatment because of the extent of his injuries.
Officials have not said what immediate steps were taken to extinguish the fire at the scene, but the injuries were serious enough to leave him in extremely critical condition almost immediately after the attack.
Witnesses say the dispute began hours earlier
According to investigators, witnesses told them Shelton and Mathis had argued earlier in the day before the attack. During that dispute, she allegedly warned that she would leave and come back with someone to beat him.
Deputies say Shelton later returned to the area several hours after that confrontation. She was carrying a white plastic bucket containing an unknown liquid accelerant inside a plastic bag, according to the arrest report.
The account given to investigators suggests the encounter did not happen on impulse alone. Instead, deputies say the woman left, came back with a substance believed to be flammable, and then confronted the victim again before the fire was set.
Arrest report says she borrowed a lighter before the attack
The arrest report says Shelton asked a witness to borrow a lighter after she returned. She then walked up to Mathis and the argument started again before the attack allegedly turned physical and combustible.
Investigators say she poured the accelerant over him and ignited him before fleeing the area. Witnesses then tried to stop her from getting away. One person chased her and used pepper spray in an effort to halt the escape, authorities said.
That witness effort appears to have helped deputies identify the suspect soon after the incident. The sequence described in the report is central to the charges filed against her, including attempted first-degree murder.
Deputies say witnesses helped identify Shelton nearby
After the attack, witnesses gave deputies a description of the woman, including the clothes she was wearing. They said she had on a brown dress and purple sneakers.
Deputies later found Shelton nearby, still dressed in the clothing described by witnesses. She was arrested without incident, according to the sheriff’s office.
She was then taken to the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office Homicide Bureau. The arrest report says she invoked her right to legal counsel once she was in custody, ending questioning at that point.
Shelton remains jailed as prosecutors prepare the case
Shelton was booked early Sunday at Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center. Jail records show her bond on the attempted murder charge was set at $10,000, while bond on the arson charge had not yet been set.
The case now moves into the next stage of the criminal process as prosecutors review the allegations and evidence gathered by detectives. The charges are serious, and the victim’s condition adds urgency to the investigation.
At this point, authorities have released a detailed account of the events, but they have not said whether any additional suspects are being sought or whether there was any broader dispute beyond the argument described by witnesses.
