NEED TO KNOW
- A fire at a Georgia apartment left Stephanie Wiley dead and her son seriously injured
- Authorities arrested Wiley’s ex-boyfriend Shawn Fails in Alabama
- Wiley’s son suffered broken pelvis injuries after jumping out of the window, according to family
A Georgia man has been arrested in connection with the killing of his ex-girlfriend who died in a fire at her home.
Stephanie Wiley, 48, died after her Dekalb County, Ga., apartment was set ablaze in the early morning hours of Monday, Sept. 1, DeKalb County authorities confirmed in a statement to PEOPLE. Another person, identified by Wiley’s family as her son, was also in the unit and survived after jumping out of the window.
Investigators soon determined the fire was intentionally set, per the statement.
Later that day, authorities in Lanett, Ala., arrested 44-year-old Shawn Fails during a traffic stop in connection with Wiley’s killing and the fire.
Fails was Wiley’s ex-boyfriend, police said.
A neighbor’s Ring camera caught a man allegedly setting the fire, FOX 5 reported. The video shows a man in white clothing dropping something outside the unit before flames go up as he sprints away.
“I could hear her screaming and howling for her life,” the neighbor told the outlet.
However, at one point, the neighbor told the outlet, “We could see her hand or something that was in the window, and…the screaming stopped.”
When contacted by PEOPLE to confirm if the footage is part of their investigation, Dekalb County investigators declined to “comment on any evidence which led us to identifying the suspect.”
Wiley’s son, who has not been publicly named by authorities or her family, reportedly jumped from the window to save her and himself, Wiley’s brother said in a post on Facebook.
By the time authorities got to the scene, Wiley was unresponsive, suffering from severe burns and smoke inhalation, FOX 5 reported. She was pronounced dead after being taken to the hospital.
Wiley’s son reportedly suffered broken pelvis injuries from his fall and is recovering, her brother said in the Facebook post.
In a GoFundMe set up to assist with her funeral, Wiley is being remembered for her kindness.
“She was the most beautiful loving big hearted person you will ever make sure off your back,” read part of the fundraiser, adding: “if you need a place to stay she was there, if you just needed someone to talk to.”
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Fails will be facing charges of murder, aggravated assault and arson once he is booked into DeKalb County Jail, police said.
If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
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