A mother and her two-year-old daughter have died after being struck by lightning, according to police. Kenya Glasgow, 31, and her young child were struck on Sunday in Margate, a city in the metropolitan area of Miami, Florida.
The pair were found after police officers and fire rescue personnel responded to a 911 call made at about 2.30pm local time. First responders attempted to treat the mother and child at the scene and performed CPR on them before they were taken to separate hospitals. However, both died shortly after they arrived.
Discovery and Response
Police said they found Kenya and her daughter lying on a pavement in the area of 7941 Northwest 1st Street. Kenya was taken to North Broward Medical Center in Deerfield Beach, while her daughter was taken to Broward Health Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale. A police escort was sent to accompany the ambulance carrying the child.
A neighbour who lives across the street said the storm was the ‘loudest they could hear’. Speaking to news outlet Local 10, Prince Moody said he had just got home after going to the supermarket when the storm began. He said: ‘I heard the loudest lightning strike I could hear, thunder, and an orange glow went through my window.’
Family Tributes
Prince said his thoughts were with the victims’ family. ‘Imagine the family that’s actually going through this,’ he added. ‘The father, you know. I have a kid and I can imagine. My thoughts and prayers.’
Following her death, Kenya’s husband, Kam, took to social media to pay tribute to his wife and child. He said: ‘I just lost my best friend. My daughter just lost her best friend. After I lost my father a few years ago I learned a very valuable lesson and that’s to never question God. My babies didn’t suffer.’
Lightning Statistics
According to the US’ National Weather Service, lightning strikes the country around 25,000,000 times annually, killing around 20 people. Hundreds are seriously injured. Florida is disproportionately affected by the strikes, suffering 305 lightning events per square mile in 2025. Margate Police said the deaths remain under investigation.
