Deputies said a citizen’s report helped them find Franklin Faircloth near woods after the attack.
ROSEBORO, N.C. — A two-day search for a Roseboro man ended behind a home near Butler Island Road after deputies said he fled on a bicycle from a fire that left his girlfriend severely burned.
Franklin “Frankie” Paul Faircloth, 29, was arrested April 13 and jailed on charges of attempted first-degree murder, first-degree arson, first-degree burglary, assault inflicting serious bodily injury and misdemeanor domestic violence. The search began after a 36-year-old woman was found burned at her North Pine Street home. Authorities said she told deputies Faircloth had forced his way inside, poured gasoline on her and set her on fire.
The arrest depended on a report from outside the investigation. Sheriff Jimmy Thornton said a citizen saw someone matching Faircloth’s description near a wooded area behind a residence. Deputies went to the area, searched behind the home and found him. Officials said he was taken into custody without incident. Local reports placed the arrest area roughly three miles from the victim’s home, where deputies and firefighters had responded to the fire two nights earlier.
The path from the fire scene to the wooded area began around 10 p.m. April 11. Emergency crews were sent to North Pine Street for a reported structure fire and injured woman. Responders found the woman with burns across her arms, legs, chest and back. The sheriff’s office said the burns covered about two-thirds of her body. She was transported to a trauma center. Investigators said Faircloth had left the scene on a gray and red bicycle after the fire was set.
By the next day, the case had become a public search. The sheriff’s office and Fire Marshal’s Office examined the home, and deputies worked with prosecutors to secure charges. The early public account did not list Faircloth by name until warrants were obtained, but the allegations were serious from the start. Officials said the woman reported that a man forced his way inside, doused her with gasoline and set her on fire before leaving. Authorities said the suspect was at large Sunday afternoon before the Monday arrest.
The warrants describe why prosecutors treated the fire as more than property damage. One warrant accused Faircloth of maliciously burning a dwelling while the victim was inside. The attempted murder charge centers on the allegation that he set the woman herself on fire. The burglary charge is tied to the claim that he forced his way into the home. The assault count reflects the depth of the injuries. The domestic violence charge is tied to the reported dating relationship between Faircloth and the woman.
Once Faircloth was taken to the Sampson County jail, the case moved to court. He appeared before a judge and was denied bond. Family members of the victim were present for that hearing, according to posts by the woman’s sister. The sister wrote that being in court when Faircloth was denied bond brought the family comfort after days of fear and hospital waiting. The denial means Faircloth remains in custody while the case proceeds, unless a later court order changes that status.
The woman’s family has described her condition in stark terms. Relatives said she was in a trauma center and that the prognosis was not good. Burns over about two-thirds of the body can require long treatment, repeated procedures and close monitoring for infection and organ stress, although officials have not released her full medical chart or a hospital update. The district attorney’s office has said Faircloth will face a first-degree murder charge if she dies. That possibility has made her medical condition central to the criminal case.
The victim’s name is being withheld here because the original coverage said her family asked that it not be published. Some local reports have identified her, but the main public facts do not require her name: her age, the location of the fire, the injuries described by investigators and the charges against Faircloth. The family’s posts show the weight of the case without giving more private detail than needed. One person who knew the woman wrote that she could not stop thinking about what the victim had endured.
Several key questions remain open. Investigators have not said what led up to the alleged attack or whether any witnesses saw Faircloth enter or leave the home. They have not said whether the woman and Faircloth had a history of reported domestic violence. They have not released the fire marshal’s final findings, any surveillance footage, a 911 recording or a full inventory of evidence collected from the home. They also have not said whether Faircloth made any statement after his arrest.
The setting matters to the charges. Roseboro is a small Sampson County community south of Raleigh, and the home was a private residence, not a public building or business. The allegation that the woman was inside her own home when gasoline was used against her is central to the burglary and arson counts. The allegation that Faircloth fled by bicycle shaped the initial search and the public description that helped authorities track him.
The court process is still young. Prosecutors must decide how to present the case, defense counsel must respond to the charges and investigators must complete reports from the fire scene, medical treatment and witness interviews. If the case goes to a grand jury, the charges could be restated in an indictment. If the woman’s condition changes, prosecutors have already signaled that the most serious count may change too.
Faircloth remains jailed without bond as the case proceeds in Sampson County. His next listed court date was May 8, and the woman’s survival remains the fact that could determine whether prosecutors keep the attempted murder charge or seek murder.
Author note: Last updated May 9, 2026.