LOS ANGELES : Kidnap-Burn Victim Dies After 3 Months in Hospital
A young woman who was critically burned when she was kidnaped, raped and set on fire died of her injuries after clinging to life for three months, officials said today.
Cherie Anne Belanger, 20, died at County-USC Medical Center on Wednesday afternoon, hospital spokesman Harvey Kern said.
Belanger was admitted to the hospital March 31 with second- and third- degree burns over 85% of her body, Kern said.
Police are still seeking her assailants. Belanger told detectives that she had been picked up by two men in a van early on the morning of March 31 at Hollywood Boulevard and Western Avenue.
She told police that she was driven around, stripped of her clothing and raped. The suspects forced her out of the van in the 5400 block of Monterey Road, “poured gasoline on her” and set her on fire before fleeing, according to Los Angeles Police Lt. Mike Nichol.
The badly burned woman was able to douse the flames, then knocked on doors in the neighborhood until a resident called police.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
