At just 15 years old, Symini Rai Moore had her whole life ahead of her. She had good grades, stayed active in sports and cheerleading, and made her friends and family feel loved at all times. Tragically, she died from a gunshot wound on January 23, 2026. Symini was with friends at an apartment in Northwood, Ohio, when a terrible accident occurred. Jakob Heintzelman, 18, claims he was cleaning his gun when it accidentally went off, hitting Symini. Officers from the Lake Township Police Department arrested Heintzelman, who faces murder charges.
Police responded to an apartment in the 3700 block of Lakepointe Drive just before 11 p.m. on January 23, The Toledo Blade reported. Authorities declared Symini dead at the scene. As the news of her sudden death began to travel through the small community, it broke people’s hearts.
Christy Donnell taught Symini in preschool but never forgot her. “She was a good kid. Very sweet, very kind,” she told The Blade. “When her younger brother Vincent was there, she always looked out for him. She was just a very well-mannered, wonderful little girl.”
Symini worked at Granny’s Kitchen in Woodville. A GoFundMe account mentioned how important she was to the family business.
“At Granny’s Kitchen, the family-owned business where Symini worked, customers didn’t just come for the food—they came for her. She greeted everyone with warmth, treated people with genuine care, and left lasting impressions on those who walked through the door,” the post reads. “Symini also loved babysitting her siblings and family members, protecting and nurturing younger children with patience, tenderness, and a huge heart.”
Even though it appears Symini’s death was a devastating accident, nothing will bring her back. Tributes poured in for the high school sophomore on social media. A family member expressed heartache at not having a chance to say goodbye to Symini before her sudden and shocking death and had harsh words for the alleged gunman.
“Let’s be crystal clear: the gun did not kill this child. Guns do not act on their own. Just like pencils don’t write by themselves, triggers don’t pull themselves. A human being did this,” a post by Amanda Bowling reads. “Someone chose to treat a deadly weapon like a game, and a child paid the ultimate price. This was not unavoidable. This was not fate. This was negligence. This was a complete failure of responsibility, education, and basic regard for human life.
“A bright, hardworking 15-year-old honor student is dead because someone who was legally an adult acted like a reckless child,” the post continued. “That is infuriating. That is unacceptable. And it never should have happened.”
Heintzelman faces one count of reckless homicide in Symini’s death, WTOL reported. A judge set his bond at $75,000.
