Woman sets man on fire after argument, Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office said

Miami-Dade County admin October 26, 2026 0 Comments

Woman sets man on fire after argument, Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office said

A woman faces attempted murder and arson charges after lighting a man on fire following an argument Saturday, the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office said.

Deputies and Miami-Dade Fire Rescue paramedics arrived at an apartment complex at 2450 NW 63rd St. just after 6 p.m. and found 33-year-old Nathaniel Devon Mathis badly burned and unconscious. Paramedics took him to Ryder Trauma Center at Jackson Memorial Hospital in “extremely critical condition.”

Detectives added in their report that he was “not expected to survive.” His condition as of Monday morning was not immediately available. He had burns to more than 80% of his body, detectives said.

Witnesses told deputies that Mathis and 45-year-old Tanisha Shelton were arguing earlier in the day. She told him she would return with someone to “beat his [expletive],” according to Shelton’s arrest report.

Shelton returned a few hours later carrying a white bucket with a plastic bag inside containing an “unknown accelerant,” the report states. She doused Mathis with the liquid and asked someone for a lighter. That person gave Shelton the lighter, and she used it to set Mathis on fire, according to the report.

A witness sprayed Shelton with pepper spray to try preventing her from leaving. That person and others described Shelton as wearing a brown dress and purple sneakers. Deputies found her walking around the 2500 block of NW 56th Street around 3:30 a.m. Sunday and arrested her, according to the report.

She was booked into Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on first-degree attempted murder and arson causing great bodily harm. A judge Monday ordered Shelton held until trial.

This story was originally published October 25, 2026 at 5:21 PM.