Burned girl in ‘good spirits’

AN 11-YEAR-OLD girl doused with scalding water in a gruesome prank suffered burns over 85% of her face, along with wounds to her back and chest, according to her mother.

Hospitalized Jamoneisha Merritt “has a good spirit despite her injuries,” mom Ebony Merritt said Friday.

“I’m still looking for an attorney to make sure I’m handling all of this right,” she continued. “Yes, I am thinking about suing.”

Ebony Merritt expressed anger that 12-year-old Aniya Grant Stuart was not in custody for tossing the hot water on Jamoneisha, and alleged there were three other people involved.

A spokesman for the city Coporation Counsel said Stuart had yet to appear in court, although the Department of Probation did an intake on the pre-teen.

Police took the child into custody on assault charges shortly after the incident early Monday, with the case turned over to Family Court for investigation.

The suspect’s older sister Shawna said she was still in social media contact with the hospitalized girl. Shawna said she felt bad about the scalding but hoped that her sister wouldn’t be taken away.