A boy is back home and on the mend after his father kidnapped him in May and set a car on fire with the child still inside.
Bennett Dornellas, 3, suffered third-degree burns on 90 percent of his body, but was still pictured smiling in the days before his release Monday.
His father, 32-year-old Joshua Bennett Dornellas, was arrested after leading deputies on a chase that began in South Caroline and ended in Georgia with the car engulfed in flames.
It began with the violent assault of Bennett and his mother at the family’s home in Anderson County, cops said – leading Dornellas to kidnap the boy and drive him down I-85 across state lines.
Georgia State police soon became involved, and Dornellas eventually set the truck he was driving ablaze before jumping out at speeds of 55 mph. Bennett was left inside to burn, but deputies were miraculously able to save his life.
Four months later, Bennett is back home, and his dad is being held without bond.
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Bennett Dornellas, 3, suffered third-degree burns on 90 percent of his body after his father kidnapped him in May and set a car on fire with him still inside. He is seen here at a burn center in Augusta, Georgia, from which he was released Tuesday
His father, 32-year-old Joshua Bennett Dornellas, is in custody, after leading deputies on a chase that ended with the car fire in Georgia, after beginning in South Carolina
‘Today was amazing! Lots of tears shed, happy tears,’ Bennett’s mother, Chelsea Oliver, said in a post to social media in celebration of Bennett’s release.
‘Thank you all,’ said the woman, who recently split from the suspect and shares several other kids with him.
‘We are forever grateful for you all! We will miss all our amazing nurses and doctors but we will be going back often for checkups and future surgeries.’
In a follow-up, Oliver wrote: ‘Bennett is sound asleep and so happy to be home!!
‘He laughed so much at uncle Jeremy and ridge playing with [W]oodys hat,’ she added, referencing Bennet’s trusty Toy Story figure that’s been by his side throughout his stay in the ICU.
‘So happy all my babies are under one roof and we get to spend quality time together.’
The post radiated positivity, despite the severe scarring and burns still visible on the boy’s face.
Photos showed him reunited with Oliver out front of the family residence, while another showed him flashing a heartwarming smile once inside.
The boy is seen here outside his home with his mother, Chelsea Oliver, on Monday, as his road to recovery continues
Pictured, the family home back in May after Bennett was kidnapped by his father, following an alleged incident of abuse involving the boy and his mother
Bennet during better days. His family said he’s happy to be home with his siblings and toys
Similar scenes were recorded by Oliver during her son’s four-month stay at the burn center in Augusta where he recovered, after his father allegedly kidnapped him and doused him with gasoline before setting him alight.
First fleeing from the home where Bennet lives with his mother, Dornellas snatched the boy, drove him away in his truck, and threatened to kill the child when officers began to close in, Georgia State Patrol officials said.
Troopers, at that point, attempted a box-in maneuver to stop the truck’s progress, but were ultimately unsuccessful.
The Georgia agency stated that’s when the suspect – who has a history of violence that caused a split with his spouse – intentionally set his car on fire with the child still inside.
He jumped out of the driver’s window while traveling 55 mph, leaving the car to crash into an embankment fully engulfed in flames near mile marker 166, cops said.
Officers were able to quickly retrieve the boy from the vehicle, but not before he was badly burned across almost his entire body.
Medical professionals took over the rest, hooking him up to a ventilator and carrying out a series of surgeries to close up all of his skin.
They were ultimately successful, though even his after his release last week, he will still have to undergo several more procedures during return visits to Augusta as he continues to recover.
His trusty Woody figure has been by his side all the way, as he continues to put on a brave face amid his road to recovery. His dad, meanwhile, faces a laundry list of charges for his actions
As for his father, he had a court appearance on September 9, where he was denied bond for a third time.
He remains in custody amid an investigation being handled by the Georgia State Patrol, after the Anderson County Sheriff already said Dornellas was arrested at the family home in Belton on April 21 for leaving Bennet and four other children, all under the age of 11, alone at home.
One of those children, a toddler, was later found wandering in the street, cops said.
A few days later, police charged him with domestic violence after he assaulted the child’s mother, prompting her to take an order of protection against Dornellas.
This paved the way for the incident on May 8, which left Bennett with ‘3rd-degree burns throughout 90% of his little body,’ the family said in an online fundraiser that has since raised more than $80,000.
Dornellas – who drove a gold F-150 – is facing a long list of criminal charges, including criminal attempt to commit murder, kidnapping, aggravated battery, cruelty to children in the first degree, arson in the first degree, aggravated assault on a police officer, and endangering a child while driving under the influence.
He faces a host of motor vehicle and traffic offenses as well, as well as more than 20 years in prison if found guilty. A trial date was not immediately set.
