On Saturday, Jan. 18 at around 7:45 a.m. local time, police and emergency services were called to a home in the Brisbane suburb of Kingston, where a woman was found with “burns to her body,” an initial Queensland Police release stated.
An update confirmed a 36-year-old man from Kingston had been charged with attempted murder after allegedly producing a lighter and setting “a 34-year-old woman on fire,” a second release stated.
The release added that police initially responded to reports of an “altercation” at the scene involving a man and a woman.
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“She was treated by paramedics at the scene and was transported to the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital in a serious condition,” the release added, confirming that the man had been “charged with one count each of attempted murder, common assault, and breach of domestic violence.”
The woman was identified as Destiny Otton-Rakuraku by Australian outlets including The Courier-Mail, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) and 9 News, stating the man facing the charges was Renata Edward Manning.
Per ABC, the victim “was treated for life-threatening burns by paramedics” before being taken to the hospital in “a critical but stable condition.”
The outlet stated the case had been heard briefly in the Beenleigh Magistrates Court on Monday, Jan. 20, but the suspect wasn’t in attendance. Bail was opposed, per police.
The suspect reportedly “poured an accelerant” on the victim before setting her on fire, according to 7 News, which stated he was the victim’s former partner.
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The victim’s mother, Alison Rakuraku, said she was “numb” and “devastated” following the attack on her daughter, per the outlet.
“But she’s strong, so we will be strong for our girl,” Rakuraku told the publication.
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A GoFundMe page set up to raise money for the family said Otton-Rakuraku is “the eldest daughter in a family of seven” and is a mother to “two beautiful teenage boys.”
“All the funds raised will be used towards Destiny’s medical bills, after care, recovery, necessary resources, her rent, her children, pets, her family to travel backwards & forwards, parking fees and extra unforeseen expenses,” a description on the page, set up by a friend of the victim’s mother, read.
“As you can imagine the unbearable pain that has been put on the family it is my hope that enough funds will be raised to take some stress off the family,” it added.
The page had raised just over $19,836 (almost $32,000 AUD) as of Monday, Jan. 20.
Per ABC, the suspect will appear in court in March.
Beenleigh Magistrates Court and Queensland Police didn’t immediately respond when contacted by PEOPLE for additional information.
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