A woman who is in grave condition after being raped and burned in her apartment is a hero, her family says.

"Lydia (Tillman) continues to fight for her life just as she did the night she was brutally attacked," the family said in a statement. "Her strength and courage has made a difference in the world, she is a hero!"

Travis Forbes, 31, has been charged with attempted first-degree murder, three counts of sexual assault and arson in the July 5 attack against Tillman.

Tillman leaped from the second-floor window of her burning apartment and has been hospitalized ever since then.

"Lydia's loving spirit is what makes her special to all who know her," the statement released through authorities says. "Lydia loves expanding her world through travel, she enjoys the outdoors, and being surrounded by her family."

Tillman moved to Fort Collins from Longmont about a month before she was attacked, police say. She works as one of seven sales representatives in Colorado for the Natural Wine Co., a distributor of wines headquartered in Boulder.

By his own description, Forbes is a suspect in the disappearance of 19-year-old Kenia Monge, who was last seen at a Lower Downtown nightclub in the early morning hours of April 1.

Forbes said he was a good Samaritan who picked Monge up and offered to take her home but left her with a stranger in downtown Denver.

Denver police have followed Forbes' activities closely since then.

When Fort Collins police realized Forbes was in the Fort Collins area following Tillman's assault, they began following him.

An officer stopped Travis Forbes and a woman he was with at 2:21 on Sunday July 10 for "suspicious activity."

Forbes initially said his name was Travis Kennedy, police say.

Kirk Mitchell: 303-954-1206 or kmitchell@denverpost.com