Chanetta Lorae Powell

Chanetta Powell was a young woman whose life revolved around family. At 25, she was a sister and a mother; public accounts from the time note she was eight months pregnant when she died and also the mother of a young son. In late winter of 2016 Chanetta was participating in an ordinary family gathering with relatives; those who knew her and those who have spoken in public remembrance emphasized the closeness of her family and the grief felt by relatives and neighbors after her passing.

Funeral services and viewings were held with family members, bringing loved ones together to honor Chanetta alongside others lost that night. Coverage of those services described a community in mourning and noted that her unborn child was also buried with her, underscoring the depth of the loss for her family.

Although public records and news coverage focus largely on the tragic circumstances of her death, the facts that are recorded also point to Chanetta’s roles within her family—roles that mattered to people who loved her. This remembrance holds those verified human details at its center: Chanetta as a sister, a mother, and a young woman whose life had meaning to family and community. Her life and the family ties she maintained are what friends and relatives carried into the memorials and services that followed.

Because the public record about Chanetta is dominated by contemporary news reports of the event and funeral notices, some personal details remain private. What is clear and enduring is that her life mattered to her family and community; this page honors those connections and the memory of Chanetta and the child she was expecting.