A BRITISH mother has died after being set on fire as she lay in bed in Barbados.
Natalie Crichlow was strangled and then had a flammable liquid poured over her on July 28, her family said.
The 44-year-old was attacked by an intruder as she stayed in the home of her disabled brother, who she had travelled to the country to look after.
According to reports, the home that she was staying in was also set on fire.
Crichlow suffered 75 per cent burns to her body following the attack in Christ Church and died in hospital on August 6.
The mother of three children, aged 10, 20 and 26, had survived cancer twice and suffered two strokes in the past 10 years, Sky News reported.
"The intruder broke in the house, then strangled her and then set her alight,” her niece Ashley Best told PA.
"I do not understand why it happened and we are all in a state of shock.
"She went into hospital and died of her injuries.”
Best added: "For someone who had battled through so much to just be taken in this way and lose their life is just beyond understanding.”
Crichlow’s family have set up a crowdfunding campaign to raise funds to bring her body back to England. Donations have exceeded the £8,000, with more than £11,000 raised so far.
In a statement, the family described Crichlow as “outgoing, bubbly and kind” and said she was “greatly loved and well thought of throughout many communities”.
No arrests have been made.
Local newspaper, Barbados Today reported that deputy police commissioner Erwin Boyce said an update on the investigation will be provided soon.
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