HOUSTON – The husband of a woman who was sexually assaulted before their home was set on fire said Wednesday he will do anything to catch the attacker.
The 34-year-old victim said a man knocked on her door in the 8000 block of Indian Desert Drive Tuesday at 2 p.m., sexually assaulted her, forced her to take a shower, then set her house on fire.
"It's obviously confusing," said the woman's husband. "So many things to deal with. First and foremost is making sure that my wife's OK. And we have a pretty much destroyed house to deal with."
The victim's husband said he returned from military service overseas just last week. He said he was driving home from work, from Ellington Field, when a neighbor called and told him his house was on fire and his wife was on the way to the hospital.
He said her hands, arm and part of her face burned in the fire. He said she is in stable condition and improving in the hospital. Her biggest injury, he said, was the damage from inhaling smoke.
He said, "Don't let anybody in your house that you don't know and you're not expecting. This is a quiet neighborhood. We've been here five years almost."
Investigators said they conducted more interviews with neighbors on Wednesday. They expected to talk to the victim again soon, when she is able.
Photos: House Fire