A 67-year-old woman has been identified as the second victim in a fatal fire that broke out Monday night in Lakeland.
On Wednesday, investigators confirmed that Conne Lehning Tamarit died in the fire.
She was the grandmother of 8-year-old Justin Guglielmino, who also died.
Tamarit and Guglielmino were among the six people in the home at 1410 Tradewinds Ave. when the blaze erupted.
Karen Gist lost her mother and her nephew.
“My mom was everything to me in the world. She was my rock, my hero, an angel and just an amazing woman,” she said.
The boy’s parents and two other children were able to make it out alive thanks to neighbors. Gist is grateful for that.
“Thank you doesn’t even begin to describe. They did what they could. They tried as hard as they could,” she said.
Gist said as she deals with the grief of losing her mom she’s also left wondering how her nephew’s young life could have been cut so short.
“He just turned 8 last month,” she said. “He loved to read to his little brother, teach his little brother how to read and he loved to read to other kids at school and he loved to laugh and play like any other 8-year-old boy.”
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
The family also lost all of their belongings in the fire. Donations can be made at any TD Bank under Connie’s Family Fund.