A grieving family will lay to rest a 28-year-old mother Sunday, about a week after she was killed in an apartment fire in Roswell.
Jasmine King died early Saturday morning at the apartment of 42-year-old Jamar Anthony Gray, who was also killed, the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed. According to a statement from Georgia’s Office of the Commissioner of Insurance and Safety Fire, investigators believe the blaze was caused by unattended cooking.
King’s godmother, Zucchuni Murphy, said King was visiting Gray at his apartment, where he lived with his two dogs, who also died in the fire. King is survived by her parents, two siblings and her 6-year-old son, Nasir, who has autism, Murphy said.
She described King as a bright, fun-loving, outspoken young woman.
“One of my favorite memories of Jasmine is her laugh,” Murphy said. “Jasmine had a very distinct and funny laugh from the time she was a little girl. She was the life of the party. She was very, very loyal to her family and friends, loyal to a fault.”
The insurance and safety fire commissioner’s office said Roswell firefighters responded to the Champions Green apartment complex just after 3:45 a.m. Saturday and found heavy smoke coming from the rear of the three-story building. Gray and King were found inside and immediately given first aid and taken to the hospital, where they were later pronounced dead.
The fire impacted two additional units and displaced six other residents who were assisted by the Red Cross, the state office said.
Murphy told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution she knew King from birth and remains close friends with King’s parents. Murphy, who considered herself King’s “extra mom,” created a GoFundMe campaign to help cover the up-front costs of King’s cremation and memorial, as well as provide a financial cushion for King’s family as they care for Nasir.
Murphy said King’s death hit her family hard. King had recently started a new job as an insurance agent but still lived with her parents, who have helped to care for her son.
“Her biological parents are in a complete state of shock,” Murphy said.
Murphy, who also works as an insurance agent, said King had life insurance through her new job but that it could take months for her family to receive any payout. Murphy said the recent establishment of the insurance policy could complicate the insurer’s investigation into her family’s claim and lengthen the payout process, which is why she decided to create the fundraiser.
Murphy did not know Gray, and few other details about the circumstances around the incident have been released. The Roswell fire department has not responded to inquiries from the AJC.
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