close
close

Association-anemone

Bite-sized brilliance in every update

Virginia woman charged with murder after setting fire to acquaintance
asane

Virginia woman charged with murder after setting fire to acquaintance

MAX MEADOWS, Va. — A Virginia woman who was out on bail on a previous assault charge is now charged with first-degree murder after allegedly setting another woman on fire, resulting in her death, authorities said.

Savannah Adams, 28, is accused of killing Tiffany Dunford, a Wythe County resident, in a violent attack that occurred on Sunday, November 17. According to the Wythe County Sheriff’s Office, Adams doused Dunford with gasoline and set her on fire while she sat on a couch in an outbuilding on her Max Meadows property.

Deputies who responded to a call about the incident found Dunford suffering from severe burns over most of her body. “The victim was transported by helicopter to a specialized medical facility for treatment of his injuries,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement. Dunford succumbed to her injuries later that day.

Adams, who fled the scene in a silver 2004 Dodge Neon, was arrested early Monday after authorities shared her photo and vehicle information on social media. She initially faced charges of attempted second-degree murder and felonious assault, but the charges were upgraded to first-degree murder after Dunford’s death.

Adams and Dunford knew each other through friends and family, although the motive for the attack remains unclear. Images captured by WSLS show the charred remains of the couch where the attack took place.

Adams was previously out on bail for an unrelated case in which she was accused of assaulting someone with a pipe.