A woman set on fire inside a New York City subway has raised questions about how a world traveler and former Merck employee ended up homeless and burned on a train.

The woman who was set on fire on the NYC subway has been identified as Debrina Kawam, of Toms River, New Jersey, police say.

Authorities in New York have released the cause and manner of death of a woman who was set aflame inside a subway car earlier this month. Debrina Kawam, a 57-year-old resident of New Jersey, died from "thermal and inhalational injuries," the New York City Chief Medical Examiner confirmed to PEOPLE on Tuesday.