Witness’ texts describe horror as man burned; she’s now charged with murder
A woman who called 911 to report a man on fire is now charged in his death after her mother told police she abandoned the man as he suffered from electrical burns, a recently released probable cause affidavit describes.
Molly Hubbard, 36, called emergency services at 5:13 a.m. on July 17 to report that a man in the street near Harry and Governeour was on fire. According to the affidavit, a man’s voice could be heard moaning in the background while she shouted for him to “drop and roll.” Then, the line disconnected.
When paramedics and police arrived at the scene, 39-year-old Ryan Crawford was suffering from severe burns to his face, arms, legs and backside, the affidavit read. Before he was sedated and taken to the hospital, Crawford told police he had entered a nearby building with another person he didn’t know to get out of the rain when something popped or exploded, igniting his clothing.
Police entered the building and found smoke coming from a control panel. The amount of smoke, the affidavit said, was significant, and estimated damage totaled almost $400,000.
Once the smoke was clear, police found “a piece of burnt shirt, a screwdriver next to the control panel … a flashlight, cellphone and a bag of tools,” the affidavit listed.
An arson investigator brought to the scene told law enforcement that the energized electrical panel, which was supplied by more than 400 volts, had been manipulated.
“He stated this caused an arc flash which ignited Ryan’s clothing,” the affidavit read.
The building, located in the 7000 block of East Harry Court, was vacant but previously served as a call center. The building’s owner said there have been ongoing issues with copper theft from the building.
Police contacted Hubbard, who said she had been scrapping metal and driving along Harry when she saw a man on fire.
“She stopped to help the individual and realized it was a male named Ryan who she knew from the Planeview area,” the affidavit said Hubbard told police. “She called 911 and left because of her driver’s license status.”
She told police she had last seen Crawford a week ago.
Officers reviewed surveillance video from the southwest corner of Harry and Harry Court that showed Crawford pacing the north sidewalk just after 5 a.m., until the Wichita Fire Department arrived. Contrary to what Hubbard told police, “No other vehicles were seen stopping to contact Ryan prior to the Wichita Fire Department’s arrival on scene,” the affidavit read.
Crawford sustained second- and third-degree burns to his upper torso and limbs — injuries investigators said were consistent with contact from energized electrical service wiring. He died July 19 during skin graft surgery, the affidavit read. Crawford’s death certificate, the document said, listed that he died of “thermal injuries and inhalation of products of combustion, accident.”
A few days later, Hubbard’s mother called police alleging that her daughter was involved in Crawford’s death, according to the affidavit.
Hubbard’s mother “said her daughter Molly had ‘left the man to die,’” the affidavit read. “She said they were ‘burglarizing the place for copper.’”
Hubbard’s mother provided police with several text message threads, including one dated the evening Crawford died.
“It could of easily been me mom. If the access to the roof wasn’t open that whole room would’ve went up in flames,” the affidavit said Hubbard wrote in text messages to her mother. “Instead it stayed in that confined area and I seen a friend burn in flames!!! I’m sick to my stomach feel like I cheated death.”
In a text message, she described watching Crawford burn while reminding him to stop, drop and roll.
“It was a fire. Big dragon breath fire mom,” the affidavit said Hubbard wrote in another text. “I thought I was about to die. He stood there in the fire for 30 seconds or more.”
Hubbard had been arrested that day on suspicion of burglary and theft near the 4000 block of East Kellogg.
“Molly was inside a vacant business, where copper wiring was being stolen,” the affidavit read.
That prompted police to inspect Hubbard’s recent transactions at a Wichita scrap dealer. They found that Hubbard sold copper, wire and tin almost daily from July 17 — the day she reported Crawford on fire — to July 22, when she was arrested. Store records showed that on July 17, she made $977.72 off of two separate transactions.
On Oct. 21, first degree murder and burglary charges were filed against Hubbard.
Hubbard is also facing separate burglary charges in connection with crimes committed at a vacant East Kellogg business on July 22. She’s due for her preliminary hearings on Nov. 20.
