Mother Charged in Deaths; Funeral Saturday
Basketball legend Shaquille O’Neal and sheriffs from Georgia, Florida, and North Carolina have joined forces to fully cover the funeral expenses of the four girls killed in a structure fire Aug. 30.
Kalani Rae, Kendall Xaiya, Josephina Renee, and Sophia Nachelle, ages 7, 6, 4, and 2 died when their home on North Colony Road near Chadbourn burned in the early morning fire. Their older sister Winter, 11, and another girl escaped the fire.
Reagan Nicole Powers, 28, the mother of the children, was not home. Warrants show that the children were in the care of her oldest daughter Winter, who is 11, at the time of the fire. She was arrested and charged Wednesday with four counts each of involuntary manslaughter and felony negligent child abuse, resulting in bodily injury. Powers was released on $400,000 secured bond.
The donation by the sheriffs and O’Neal fully covers all the family’s expenses, according to a press release from the Henry County, Ga. sheriff’s office. O’Neal left the NBA to become a certified law enforcement officer, sports announcer, actor and rapper. He is a vocal supporter of law enforcement, a sworn deputy with the Clayton County, Ga., sheriff’s office, an outspoken advocate for child victims of human trafficking.
The sisters were remembered at a memorial service Tuesday in Chadbourn, and will be eulogized Saturday at a funeral in Fairmont. Worley Mortuary of Fairmont will host the service at 2 p.m.
First responders were on the fire scene less than nine minutes after the 911 call at 2:30 a.m., according to officials, but the home was already engulfed in flames. A cause of the fire has not been determined, but the blaze is suspected to be accidental. The fire was investigated by the Columbus County Fire Marshal, Sheriff’s Office, N.C. State Office of the Fire Marshal, and the State Bureau of investigation.
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