A California woman who endured severe burns across more than 30% of her body after allegedly being set on fire at a homeless encampment has died. Her grieving family is now seeking answers as the people they believe were responsible remain at large.
Frances Lopez, 33, of Oildale in Kern County, spent months hospitalized with second- and third-degree burns. She said she was doused with gasoline and ignited at a homeless encampment on July 11.
After undergoing several surgeries, Lopez returned to her home near Bakersfield in September and began what was expected to be a long and difficult recovery.
On Oct. 2, however, her family’s hopes for her recovery were shattered.
According to relatives, Lopez’s husband, Steven, briefly stepped away from the house. When he came back, he found her unresponsive. The family called 911, but she could not be saved.
Lopez leaves behind two children. Her loved ones are now mourning her death while pressing authorities for answers about why no arrests have been made in connection with the alleged attack.
“She’s my everything… she was… still my everything. Now I’m just… lost without her,” Steven told KBAK 23.
Lopez’s grandparents, Michael and Claudia Gezzer, said her death has left the family devastated. They are appealing to the public for information that could help identify those responsible.
“Please, please, please help us to find them. They killed her,” Claudia said.
Lopez had previously described the July fire, saying she was inside a friend’s tent when three people arrived and began confronting them over money.
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“And then the guy goes out again and grabs a gas can and is like, ‘f–k it, let’s just light them on fire then,’ and threw the gasoline on us,” Lopez said in an earlier interview with ABC News.
“When I tried to leave, he pushed me back, and I fell on my friend’s bed. And that’s when the girl lit the flame… and we went up in flames.”
Lopez said she escaped by using the “stop, drop, and roll” method before running to a nearby trailer park to seek help.
“I was so cold, but I was hot. I felt like I couldn’t breathe,” she previously recalled.
She was flown to a specialized burn center in Fresno. During transport and her initial treatment, doctors reportedly had to resuscitate her twice.
The flames caused extensive injuries to her back, legs, arms and face.
Because Bakersfield has no dedicated burn unit, Lopez and her family made frequent 107-mile trips to Fresno for ongoing medical care.
“It’s up to my family to do my care, and it’s a lot of stuff, like really a lot,” Lopez said previously.
The Kern County Sheriff’s Office has not announced Lopez’s cause of death. Her family said they were informed that a complete autopsy could take several weeks.
It remains unclear whether anyone has been arrested in connection with the July attack.
The California Post reached out to the Kern County Sheriff’s Office for comment.