Note: This article, which first appeared in the news in February 2017, is being republished. After her fast thinking saved the lives of her newborn daughter, Shelby Carter is being hailed as a hero. Carter placed 10-day-old Keana into a car seat and dropped her from the second-story window as their house caught fire. Paramedics and firemen discovered the baby safely on the ground, according to Jake Plumer, captain of the Wyoming-Speer Fire Department. The 21-year-old mother was trapped in the house, and crews attempted to rescue her but were unable to reach her in time.
Firefighters discovered her in the home’s upstairs bedroom and declared her dead. An autopsy revealed that she died from inhaling smoke.
The fire crew expressed their sympathies and requested money for Carter’s family in a Facebook post.
“Words cannot describe what has happened within our community today,” the message said. We have encountered an emotion that no department want to experience.
We can’t put into words how we really feel. “Her 21st birthday was yesterday, and on Facebook, she posted what a great birthday,
And this morning on Snapchat, I’d seen ‘loving these mommy moments,’ and she had the baby laying on her chest,” said Carter’s cousin Shawna Burwell.
“She loved every child she came in contact with and they loved her,” stated Carter’s obituary. Being a mother was her most memorable experience.