Elderly woman who was burned, beaten during home invasion dies

A Grantville, Ga., woman who was beaten and burned during a home invasion died Saturday at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta.

Dorothy Dow was pronounced dead Saturday afternoon, according to a representative of Claude McKibben & Sons Funeral Home in Hogansville, Ga., which will handle the funeral. No arrangements have been made. There will be an autopsy.

The 83-year-old woman was attacked Aug. 4 during a home invasion in the 7700 block of Forrest Road. An investigation revealed that several suspects entered her home while she was sleeping. When she awoke, Dow was attacked by one of the intruders.

The men apparently went to the home looking for a relative of the victim. While one intruder beat the woman, others ransacked the house before leaving. A short time later, one of the intruders returned, doused Dow with a flammable liquid and ignited it. She was able to put out the fire before calling 911 for help.

Meriweather County Sheriff Chuck Smith said in previous reports that those who attacked Dow were seeking money. He called it a “heinous crime.”

Five people have been arrested and charged in the incident. They are Justin Pierce Grady, 38, Cortavious Dehun Heard, 18, Shanquavious Keontrell Cameron, 17, Mina Christine Ellery, 17, and Angel Latrice Harmon, 17.

The suspects were found in the Troup and Coweta county area.

Smith said that Grady and Heard had previously worked at the home where the break-in occurred.

The sheriff could not be reached Sunday for details.

This story was originally published August 28, 2016 at 12:24 PM with the headline "Elderly woman who was burned, beaten during home invasion dies."