KERRVILLE, Texas – The mother of a 10-year-old boy who is currently lying in a coma as a result of burn injuries believes other children are responsible for what happened to her son.
Kayden Culp was burned severely in a vacant lot Sunday afternoon. He was airlifted to University Hospital, where he remains in an induced coma with burns covering 20 percent of his body, from his ears to his belly and under his arms, said his mother, Tristyn Hatchett.
Hatchett believe the injuries were no accident.
Hatchett said Kayden was in the vacant lot with some other boys around his age. She said one of them poured gas on Kayden and another set him on fire with a lighter.
"To know that someone deliberately did this is almost unbearable," she said in a phone interview.
Hatchett said Kayden is on life support and he has an infection in his lungs.
Kayden's aunt, Kelly Mack, also described the family's suffering and they fear he may die.
"I'm at work, but I cry. Every two minutes I'll think about it and I'll start crying in the middle of a meeting with someone,” Mack said.
An investigation led by the fire marshal is underway. However, Kerrville City spokeswoman Kaitlin Berry wouldn't say if Kayden was intentionally burned.
"I mean, the investigator is considering all options, listening to all accounts. We don't want to rule anything out or say anything necessarily is the case,” Berry said.
Berry said they hope to wrap up the investigation sometime this week.