Police said Kenya Glasgow and her young daughter died after first responders found them on a sidewalk during a Sunday storm.
MARGATE, FL — A mother and her 2-year-old daughter died Sunday after they were reportedly struck by lightning in Margate, prompting an emergency response and an investigation by local police.
Margate Police and Margate Fire Rescue responded at about 2:30 p.m. Aug. 23 to a 911 call reporting that two people had been struck by lightning near 7941 NW First St. Officers and fire rescue personnel found the mother and child lying on a sidewalk and immediately began providing medical aid, including CPR, according to police and updated local news reports.
Police identified the mother as Kenya Glasgow. Updated reports listed Glasgow as 31 and confirmed that the 2-year-old child was her daughter. Authorities and news organizations initially received conflicting information from the emergency call and dispatch notes, including reports describing Glasgow as 40 and the child as a boy. Those details were later corrected after reporters sought additional confirmation from detectives.
Glasgow was taken by Margate Fire Rescue to North Broward Medical Center in Deerfield Beach. Her daughter was transported to Broward Health Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale with a police escort. Despite treatment by first responders and hospital medical personnel, both died shortly after arriving at the hospitals, police said.
Neighbors described a powerful storm moving through the area around the time of the emergency. Prince Moody, who lives across the street, told Local 10 that he had recently returned from getting groceries when he heard the strike. “I heard the loudest lightning strike I could hear, thunder, and an orange glow went through my window,” Moody said.
NBC 6 reported that neighbors heard thunder and lightning earlier in the afternoon before a strike shook nearby homes. Residents then saw two people on the ground near a vehicle and called for emergency help. Responders arrived and focused on lifesaving measures before transporting the mother and child to separate hospitals.
The incident drew several updates Sunday as authorities worked to establish the victims’ identities and correct information that circulated in the first hours after the emergency. CBS Miami said its initial reporting was based on details from the 911 call and dispatch notes before detectives confirmed that the younger victim was a girl and that the mother appeared to be about 31 years old.
The Margate Police Department expressed condolences to Glasgow’s family and loved ones. Police had not released additional details Sunday night about the circumstances leading up to the reported strike or whether anyone else was injured.
The deaths remain under investigation by the Margate Police Department. Authorities had not announced any further findings as of Sunday night.
Author note: Last updated August 23, 2026.