A 19-year-old Dominican woman is in critical condition after being attacked with acid near Santo Domingo. Yocairi Amarante Rodríguez was on her way home from work when two people on a motorcycle threw the toxic substance at her, causing burns that covered about 40% of her body and potentially rendering her blind.
Cardi B is offering a $10,000 reward for anyone who finds the culprits. Her father will help connect her with the appropriate authorities, she says. “There has to be justice,” she says in an Instagram clip.
A popular Dominican radio personality, Santiago Matías, is offering his own financial incentive of $5,000, and has donated a significant amount to the woman’s medical costs.
Amarante Rodríguez had just exited the car in which she’d been traveling when she was targeted. The time was about 5 p.m. Security camera footage shows the assault from start to finish, but the faces of the two people on the motorcycle are not visible.
Amarante Rodríguez’s mother believes the pair had been following her, but doesn’t know why. “The people who did this have no heart,” she told local outlet Antena Noticias 7.
The substance used is known in the D.R. as “ácido del diabo.” It’s composed primarily of sulfuric acid and is intended for use in plumbing and sewer cleaning. In this context, however, by D.R. law it’s considered a lethal weapon.
