Anna Willis.Photo:GoFundMe
GoFundMe
His wife, Anna Willis, was placed in a medically induced coma for four days and has been “receiving life saving care from the trauma team” at the UAB Hospital in Birmingham, Ala., her family wrote on aGoFundMe pagecreated to assist Anna.
Anna was taken out of the coma as of this past Saturday, the family wrote, and began surgeries this week.
“Her children Courtney and Cameron are there with her trying to make sense of a senseless crime,” Anna’s sister Christy Mitchell wrote on the page, which has a goal of helping Anna out “when she is ready to start over.”
Police said that medics responded to an emergency call at the Willis family’s apartment around 3:30 a.m. local time on August 8.
“First responders arrived on scene and began providing aid” to Anna, the statement said. She was soon transported to the UAB Hospital, where her family wrote she’s since been treated for third-degree burns across more than “50% of her body.”
Mitchelltoldlocal outlet WVTM that her son Cameron, 21, saved her life.
“Anna ran out of the house, starting screaming for help outside of her apartment complex," Mitchell told the outlet. “Her son happened to be two doors down at his friend’s house, ripped his shirt off and started desperately trying to put the fire out.”
Riley Willis III.Morgan County Sheriff’s Office
Morgan County Sheriff’s Office
Mitchell wrote on the family’s fundraiser page that “Anna has lost her belongings due to a fire that ensued after the attack.”
“This was an act of domestic violence of the most horrific nature,” her sister alleged.
Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up forPEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletterfor breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.
Anna’s daughter Courtney told WVTM she hopes her father remains in prison.
“He tried to kill my mom,” Kennedy alleged. “He attempted murder on her and justice is him behind bars and never seeing the light of day again.”
It’s not immediately clear if Willis has entered pleas or retained an attorney.
From left: son Cameron Kennedy and mom Anna Willis.GoFundMe
In an update over the weekend, Mitchell wrote her sister was taken out of the medically induced coma, but that she “is nowhere near out of the woods and the concern for infection is huge.”
Anna will have a feeding tube placed, and that she’s currently “heavily sedated with anxiety and pain meds," according to her sister.
“Anna’s road to recovery is long and will be tedious,” Mitchell wrote. “Please continue to pray for my safety and her recovery. We are hoping that the swelling will continue to go down and she can open her eyes soon.”
If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go tothehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
source: people.com
