Police are investigating after Kenya Glasgow and her 2-year-old daughter died following a Sunday afternoon lightning strike in Margate.
MARGATE, Fla. — A 31-year-old mother and her 2-year-old daughter died after they were apparently struck by lightning Sunday afternoon in this Broward County city, according to police.
Margate police and Margate Fire Rescue responded at about 2:30 p.m. Aug. 23 after a 911 caller reported two people had been struck by lightning and were lying on a sidewalk near 7941 Northwest 1st Street. Officers and firefighters began emergency treatment after arriving, including CPR, authorities said.
The woman was identified as Kenya Glasgow, 31. Police said Glasgow and her daughter were taken to separate hospitals as emergency crews continued efforts to save them. Glasgow was transported to North Broward Medical Center in Deerfield Beach, while her daughter was taken to Broward Health Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale with a police escort.
Both died shortly after arriving at the hospitals, police said. Authorities did not immediately release the child’s name. Police also had not released additional details about what Glasgow and her daughter were doing immediately before the reported strike or whether anyone witnessed it.
Early reports about the incident contained conflicting information about the victims. Some initial accounts described Glasgow as 40 years old and identified the child as a boy. Later reporting, after confirmation with Margate detectives, identified Glasgow as 31 and the child as her 2-year-old daughter. The updated information also matches the account published by FOX Weather.
The deaths occurred during the summer thunderstorm season in South Florida, where lightning is a recurring weather hazard. The National Weather Service says most lightning in the United States occurs during the summer, although strikes can happen during any season.
Authorities have not described the precise circumstances of the strike or released findings establishing where the lightning made contact. The police account described the pair as having been reportedly struck and found on the sidewalk. No other injuries connected to the incident had been announced.
Margate police said the case remains under investigation. The department expressed condolences to Glasgow’s family and loved ones as detectives continued reviewing the circumstances surrounding the deaths.
Author note: Last updated Aug. 24, 2026.