KALAMAZOO TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) — A woman who was stabbed and burned near Kalamazoo Township, Michigan, says the attacker - her own daughter - told her she wanted her to die.
Buffi McBride said her daughter, 21-year-old Alexis VanDusen, stabbed, burned and suffocated her.
McBride was hospitalized after police arrived on the scene. She has since returned home to continue recovering.
"Mentally, it's going to be a while. It's a lot to take in and nightmares… just taking it day by day," McBride told News 8 Friday.
The assault happened in the early morning hours of Feb. 25 at the home on Melrose Avenue near Lake Street in Kalamazoo Township where McBride lives. Her daughter was visiting her there.
Investigators say they were told earlier that night that VanDusen was high on meth and acting erratically — they had been called to the home because VanDusen was banging on the neighbors' doors.
The McBride family said they wish VanDusen, who has struggled with addiction, was taken to a place to get help since she refused it before.
"I wish the police officers took her and found somewhere for her to go, but it wasn't up to them," McBride explained. "They also told me I could go down to the courthouse, get papers and get her into a facility. For 72 hours, they would hold her. But… [the time of the attack] was Friday morning."
During the attack, McBride says her life flashed before her eyes. She said her daughter "wanted her to die."
"I was praying to God to send somebody to help me. I was dying. My energy was gone. I put up a fight. I fought for my life. I had to. I had no choice," McBride said. "I don't know how any child could do that, but that wasn't my daughter."
While McBride's physical wounds will heal, it's a different story for her heart. She has a message for the person who broke it.
"Alexis, I love you. I wish the best for you. And I'm sorry for everything that you had to go through in life," she said tearfully. "But I'm not crying because of you. I'm crying because you broke my heart."
McBride and her family say they want to start a new life nearby, but they need some financial help getting out of that home, which includes a GoFundMe campaign.
VanDusen is in jail on charges of attempted murder, torture and unlawful imprisonment.
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