Woman sets herself on fire during domestic dispute

A Stock Island woman set herself on fire during a domestic dispute Dec. 18 in the evening at Waters Edge Trailer Park.

Sheriff’s dispatchers received a phone call from the woman’s 8 year old daughter, reporting her mom and dad were fighting. When Deputy John Gabay arrived, he found 32 year old Jean Brutus holding his wife’s hands as she sat in a chair outside. Their daughter was on the scene as well.

Brutus let go of her when the deputy arrived and the woman – identified as 33 year old Lyneda Vilme and dressed only in her underwear – quickly grabbed a red gasoline can sitting by the chair and dumped gasoline all over her body. The deputy grabbed the gas container and threw it into a corner of the yard, but before he could stop her she grabbed a lighter, threatening to set herself on fire.

Deputy Gabay managed to get the lighter away from her, but then she produced matches and, before he could stop her, lit herself on fire. Deputy Spencer Curry arrived on the scene. The two deputies and Vilme’s husband managed to extinguish the flames, but she sustained massive burns from head to toe. After being burned, Vilme continued to be combative with deputies and paramedics, yelling and fighting with them.

An attempt was made to airlift her using the Trauma Star helicopter, but she was so combative and violent, she could not be transported by air. She was finally transported to Lower Keys Hospital for treatment.