Almost a week after he was set on fire at his Las Cuevas home, a 52-year-old seaman died in hospital on Thursday morning.

Police said Foster Darren Salvary was at home at School Road, Las Cuevas, when he had an argument with a woman and broke her cellphone.

The woman in turn broke Salvary's cellphone.

Salvary told the woman he was leaving the house but she doused him in a liquid and set it on fire.

Residents took Salvary to hospital.

Police said Salvary would have spoken with officers who responded to the incident that night and they would be using his statements to decide on the next step in the enquiry.

Newsday understands police temporarily detained the woman, but released her before Salvary died. Asked why she was released, police said the investigation was ongoing and it would have been unreasonable to keep her in custody without charging her.

Speaking with Newsday at the Forensic Science Centre, St James, on Friday, Salvary's cousin Monica Garcia said she was deeply saddened by the incident and called on people to be more mindful of the company they kept.

She noted that despite repeated calls from relatives for Salvary to keep his distance from the woman, he continued to associate with her. Garcia hopes others will learn from his mistake.

"When you stay apart from someone like that, stay away from them, don't go back, stay away, Because we spoke with him, we begged him and pleaded with him not to make back up with her.

"My only advice is to learn somebody's background before you begin associating with them."

An autopsy is expected to be done on Monday.

Relatives said Salvary knew the woman for about 11 years and claimed he had a protection order against her, but police in the North Eastern Division said there was no record of a protection order being issued to him.

They said Salvary had a five-year-old daughter but could not say whether or not she knew about his death, as she was staying with her mother's relatives.

Relatives described Salvary as a generous man who enjoyed making others laugh.

Police said the woman was originally detained by the police Gender Based Violence Unit (GBVU), but was released on Wednesday.

Data from the police and the National Domestic Violence Hotline reported that 80 per cent of reports relate to female victims, suggesting that 20 per cent of reports relate to male victims.

Contacted for comment, head of the GBVU Supt Claire Guy-Alleyne said while reports of men being the victims of abuse were generally fewer than women being victims, it was important for men to come forward and seek assistance.

She also said police intervention could prevent a situation from escalating to the point where victims become perpetrators of a crime.

"We are asking men to come forward and make their reports, because sometimes it's very easy for roles to be changed, from someone being a victim to being a perpetrator.

"Get your ego out of the w