Kandice Grace, 32, showed up at an acquaintance’s Georgia home late in the evening on April 5, 2025. She reportedly left three children in her car while she went inside. When she returned, Grace allegedly passed out in the front seat of the car. Tragically, her 7-year-old, Mazi Simmons, died in a horrific accident as his mother slept.
Police arrived at an Atlanta residence around 9:30 a.m. April 6 after receiving a call about an unresponsive child, according to court documents obtained by People. Mazi was “seated beside two younger siblings” in the back seat of the car, but his head was stuck in the window.
A witness claimed that Grace stopped at his home the night before around 10 p.m. but left her children in the car. She stayed for a short time, then returned to her car. The following morning, the witness told the police that he left his home and found Grace’s car still parked outside. He noticed “the 7-year-old’s head was hanging out of the window,” People reported.
The man said he tried to wake up Grace by banging on her car door. According to court documents, police also tried talking to the mother, but she reportedly kept passing out during the interview, the outlet shared. Police obtained a warrant for urine and blood screenings that came back positive for opioids and THC.
Loved ones have created a GoFundMe account to help with Mazi’s funeral expenses. The creator, Karion Bickham, shared kind words about the young boy.
“Mazi was truly one of a kind. Whether he was dancing, striking his signature peace sign, or just being his silly, playful self, he always found a way to make everyone around him feel joy,” Bickham wrote on the page. “He loved life and he loved deeply.”
Per the GoFundMe, this is Grace’s second child to die. Mazi was preceded in death by his sister, Jordice.
Nearly five months after Mazi’s death, on September 29, police arrested Grace on second-degree murder and second-degree cruelty to children charges. She’s in Fulton County Jail.
