Kira Ann Seymour was 17 when she died of a gunshot wound to the chest on September 30, 2020, inside a residence in Eastpointe, Michigan. A student at Roseville High School and a new mother to a six-week-old daughter, she was at the home of her boyfriend, 17-year-old Rayquan Taylor, who was also the child’s father. Emergency services pronounced Kira dead at the scene; her infant daughter was present and unharmed.

Police described a troubled, abusive relationship and took Taylor into custody as a person of interest. Investigators and court filings included text messages in which Kira called Taylor toxic and abusive and friends said she had confided about being punched, choked, and pushed into walls. Those who knew her said the abuse escalated while the couple lived together during the COVID-19 pandemic, and one account alleged Taylor pushed on Kira’s stomach during pregnancy.

Taylor was arrested and charged in connection with Kira’s death, initially facing manslaughter and two counts of felony firearm possession; he asserted the shooting was accidental. The family publicly expressed that the charges did not reflect the history of abuse. The community later raised funds to help care for Kira’s daughter, Laylah.

If anyone knew Kira, her routines, or has information about what happened that night, please share what is known.