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'She made sure they knew her': Mother remembers Baldwin County fire victim

A Baldwin County family says they are mourning the loss of their daughter and home after a fire erupted Sunday.

MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. — On Sunday morning, fire crews were called to a home in Milledgeville. 22-year-old Brittany Spell died in the fire.

"I just wish I had a magic wand to erase all this from happening," says Kimberly Browning.

Browning, Spell's mother, says she and her family have lived in Baldwin County for the last 17 years.

She says Spell made it a point to make friends with everyone in town.

"Even if they only met her once, they knew who she was. I was pretty much nameless, it was always 'Oh, you're Brittany's mom'," she says.

Spell had Angelman syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that Browning describes as a combination of down syndrome and autism. 

She says despite the disorder, Spell beat the odds.

"She surpassed everything the doctors ever said. When she was 3 and a half, a doctor in Augusta said that she would never be potty-trained, she would never talk, and if she did, she wouldn't know more than 10 words," says Browning.

Spell was in special education classes. Browning says she was loved by all of her teachers, and always made sure people around her were smiling.

"Just about everybody in every store knew her and if they didn't, she made sure they knew her. She would've been 23 December the 10th," Browning says.

Browning says with Spell's birthday quickly approaching, the holiday season will never be the same. 

Baldwin County investigators say they are still searching for the cause of the fire.

To donate to the funeral costs for Spell, you can donate to the family's GoFundMe

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