More like sisters than cousins, Chaquille Hunter and Theresa Seabrum were virtually inseparable, family members said.
Tuesday afternoon, Chaquille, 16, and Theresa, 14, were walking home from a friend's apartment near Austell when the unthinkable happened. Lightning struck a nearby tree, splitting it. The girls were also struck.
Chaquille, known as "Tootie" to family and friends, died after being transported to Grady Memorial Hospital, Cobb County police said. Theresa, whose nickname is "Reesie," remained on a ventilator in critical condition Wednesday at Grady, family members said.
"She was trying to get home," Chaquille's stepfather, Spencer Patterson, told the AJC. "She was just walking past the tree."
It was the second time in two weeks a metro Atlanta teenager has died from a lightning strike. A Henry County 14-year-old died after being struck while standing under a tree in his neighborhood.
Wednesday afternoon, family and friends gathered outside in the apartment complex, located near Six Flags and I-20, remembering the girl with a big smile who loved music and loved to dance.
"Her presence, she was just the best thing in the world," family friend Duana Smith told the AJC. "Her smile could make the sun shine."
Chaquille, who would have entered the 9th grade at Pebblebrook High School in August, had dreams of being in the military, family member said. But in the meantime, she was enjoying spending the summer with Theresa, who was spending the summer in Cobb instead of at her Jonesboro home.
The two had planned to go to Six Flags White Water to celebrate a friend's 15th birthday Wednesday. Instead, that friend, Kendric Simmons, wiped his eyes remembering Chaquille.
"She just kept it real, she wouldn't lie," Kendric said. "She'd tell you how she felt, and I liked that about her."
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