Man charged in connection with Jacksboro teen's death
A man accused of putting gasoline on a fire that flared up and fatally burned a 17-year-old Jacksboro High School student was being held Tuesday in the Jack County Jail.
Madison Lewis died Sunday as a result of burns suffered when Sebastian Jonathon Lindsey, 23, in mid-December allegedly threw fuel on a fire burning in a barrel in the backyard of a Jacksboro home, causing the fire to travel onto Madison, according to a media release.
Lindsey has been charged with manslaughter in connection with Lewis's death, according to online jail records. No bond was showing for Lindsey.
More: Iowa Park man pleads guilty to sexual abuse of teen with developmental disabilities
About 12:15 a.m. Dec. 16, Jacksboro police responded to the Faith Community Hospital for a burn victim brought to the emergency room there, according to a media release from Jacksboro police.
Witnesses told investigators they were in the backyard of a home in the 600 block of West Pine in Jacksboro where a small fire was burning inside a metal barrel.
Lindsey wanted to make the fire bigger, so he put gas on the fire from a gasoline can. The gas and fire went across the barrel, catching Lewis's hair and clothes on fire.
The people at the home were afraid of getting in trouble because alcohol was involved, so instead of calling 911, they took Lewis to the Jacksboro hospital in a private car.
She was flown by Air Evac helicopter from the local hospital to Parkland Hospital in Dallas.
She was treated for burns on most of her body from Dec. 16 to Sunday when she succumbed to her injuries, according to the media release.
Investigators arrested Lindsey on Monday.
The heartbroken community is mourning Lewis's death, and the news of what happened to her has been reported far and wide, making national headlines.
An account was established at the Prosperity bank in Jacksboro to help the family with expenses, according to a Facebook group established for Madison.
More: These stories impacted Wichita Falls in 2023
Lewis underwent surgeries to treat her burns and was expected to remain in Parkland Burn Center in Dallas for a year for treatment.
Trish Choate, enterprise watchdog reporter for the Times Record News, covers education, courts, breaking news and more. Contact Trish with news tips at tchoate@gannett.com. Read her recent work here. Her X handle is @Trishapedia.
This article originally appeared on Wichita Falls Times Record News: Man charged in connection with Jacksboro teen's death
