Norcross, Georgia (The Weekly Vice) -- Na Yong Pak, a 31- year-old Georgia woman was arrested Tuesday on aggravated assault charges after she allegedly set her mother on fire. Those charges were upgraded to murder after her mother died from her injuries Wednesday morning.

The mother, 57-year-old Myong Hui Pak, died at about 1:30 Wednesday morning at Grady Memorial Hospital, according to Norcross Police.

According to investigators, Pak threw gasoline on her mother, lit her on fire and then watched her burn following a dispute inside their Langston Road townhouse.

Myong reportedly stumbled out into the front yard of the residence and tried to douse the flames with a garden hose before eventually collapsing in the front yard. The front lawn remains charred from where Myong collapsed.

Fire crews arrived shortly after 3 p.m. and found the victim in the front yard. She was rushed to the Grady Memorial Hospital burn unit, where she died about 10 hours later.

Family members say Na Yong Pak had recently been released from Georgia Regional Hospital where she was being treated for mental illness.

Gold Pak, the father of the victim, said he and his son pleaded with hospital staff to not release Na Yong, but they did anyway. Na Yong refused to sign the discharge papers and told hospital staff that she would not take the medication she was provided, according to the family.

Several state run hospitals in Georgia, including Georgia Regional, have recently become targets of a federal investigation as being critically deficient in their care. Georgia Regional was specifically cited as having poor planning for patient care after hospital discharge, according to reports.

Na Yong Pak made a first appearance in court Wednesday afternoon on charges of murder and aggravated assault. She is being held without bond.

The Weekly Vice Opinion:

Serious problems exist in Georgia's state-run mental health care system. This is not an isolated incident by a long shot. For those who wish to research the issues surrounding Georgia's mental hospitals more thoroughly, I highly recommend reading AJC's report on the situation.

Danny Vice
The Weekly Vice
http://www.theweeklyvice.com