‘We have to say goodbye’: Daughter of woman set on fire prepares to bury her mother

ROCHESTER, N.Y. News10NBC is learning about the funeral arrangements for the Rochester mother of five who was set on fire and killed three weeks ago.

The man accused of killing Fantasia Stone is in jail. News10NBC spoke with Stone’s oldest daughter to find out more about her mother as they prepare to lay Stone to rest.

18-year-old CIZA Kirkland is the eldest of Fantasia Stone’s five kids. She explains her mom was the rock of the family, a role she now must take on for her siblings.

“To know that my mom was here whenever I needed her and she’s not here anymore I don’t have that, I feel lonely,” Kirkland said.

The struggle of losing her mom hurts her deeply. It’s hard for her to put in words. There are no words as tears roll down her face. The tears speak louder than any words she could speak. She explains the day her mom died. She had a gut feeling she should visit her.

“We were going to see our mom, but we didn’t,” Kirkland said. “But something told me to that day, but I didn’t listen.”

She never imagined she would not see her mom again.

“Around 11 nighttime I got the phone call that my mom was either on fire or that she died,” Kirkland said.

Police charged Troy Parker with Stone’s murder. Stone and Parker were friends, someone she trusted. Now she’s trying to make sense of why he would harm her.

“To know that someone close to my mom killed her, like why?” Kirkland said. “I feel so bad for him because just like how I lost a family member, y’all about to lose one too.”

Now as Kirkland prepares to get her high school diploma from Northeast Prep, she’s also making funeral preparations for her mom. The services will be held at Memories Funeral Home on Hudson Avenue at 11 a.m. Wednesday, May 10. Kirkland still can’t believe her mom is gone.

“I just know I don’t want to cry anymore because every time I cry I always hear her voice ‘Don’t cry, don’t cry,’ but it’s so hard not to,” Kirkland said.

According to the Monroe County district attorney’s office, the grand jury has voted to indict Parker on at least one felony count.