21-year-old Shakietha Ward died and her 4-year-old little girl remains in the hospital.
“I know she died trying to protect her child,” said Ronique Duncan-Ward, Shakietha’s aunt. “Nothing came between her and her baby. Nothing.” Shakietha had a facebook page. On it she wrote she was a mother before anything else. Family members say police are not letting anyone visit the little girl in order to protect her while they investigate.“We want to see her and hug her, but they’re not letting us,” said Duncan-Ward. “We have to let them go through the process and pray that she gets better and we will eventually see her.” Police say there is a $5,000 reward offered for information that brings the person responsible for these crimes to justice. Tips can be called in to 1-800-44-ARSON. Shakietha’s family says they are in need of help paying for her funeral expenses and the care of her daughter Zanaria. They are working on setting up a fund at a local bank. The funeral will be held at theLawrence E. Moon Funeral Home in Flint. Visitation is scheduled for Friday, March 11, 2011 from noon until 8:00 p.m. The funeral is scheduled for Saturday at 11:00 a.m.
