WINNSBORO, La. - State police say a 20-year woman suffering from extensive burns apparently made up a story about being set on fire by three men wearing white hoodies who wrote the initials KKK and a racial slur on her car. Instead, authorities said Tuesday she burned herself and then fabricated the story about being attacked.
On Sunday at 8 p.m. Sharmeka Moffitt called 911 from a walking trail in Winnsboro and told authorities she had been doused in flammable liquid by three men wearing hoodies. She suffered extensive burns on more than half her body and was taken to LSU Health Sciences Center in Shreveport for treatment.
After two days of investigating the case, authorities on Tuesday said the evidence showed she apparently set herself on fire.
CBS affiliate KNOE in Monroe reports police found her fingerprints on a lighter, as well as DNA evidence on a charcoal fluid lighter bottle near the scene. They also said they believe she was the one who wrote "KKK" on her car. Authorities offered no possible motives for the incident.
Moffitt is reportedly still in critical condition.
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