KALAMAZOO TOWNSHIP, Mich. — Family of the 51-year-old woman who was stabbed, set on fire, and nearly killed inside a Kalamazoo Township home on Friday tells FOX 17 the attacker is the victim’s own daughter.
Still shaken and seeking answers, the daughter-in-law of the victim spoke to FOX 17 anonymously outside the home on Melrose Avenue. Neighbors called police after hearing a disturbance in the early morning hours.
“There’s been a lot of tears shed today, that’s for sure,” she said. “A lot of anger, a lot of sadness that her own family would betray her like this. It’s devastating to everybody.”
Police say a suspect is in custody on charges of attempted murder and torture, but they haven’t yet released the names of anyone involved in the crime. The daughter-in-law tells FOX 17 the 51-year-old victim is in stable condition at the hospital.
“She is going to need a lot of prayers,” she said. “She’s not out of the woods yet.”
The woman told FOX 17 Friday that her mother-in-law was stabbed several times and had her hair and face set on fire. She also said the suspect sat on the victim for nearly two hours while she bled out on the floor. Eventually, the woman says, the suspect accidentally called police on herself, dialing 911 when she meant to dial the 211 line for food and housing assistance.
“How can you do it?” said the daughter-in-law. “How can you do that to someone you love?”
The victim also cares for her own mother and a disabled relative, so other family members are stepping in to help with care. The whole thing has come as a shock to them, and they’re hoping for swift answers out of the ongoing investigation.
“Who suspects their family member of turning on you and just attacking you out of the blue?”
Anyone with information that could help investigators should call the Township of Kalamazoo Police Department Criminal Investigation Division at (269) 381-0391 or Silent Observer at (269) 343-2100.
