Twin girls Ariel Roxanne and Alaynah Marianne North died after being left in a hot car last week (WXIA)
Media mogul Tyler Perry has offered to pay for the funeral of twin girls who died after being left in a hot car. The filmmaker’s publicist said he saw coverage of the events and was led to call the funeral home and let them know he would pay the cost.
WXIA reported 15-month-old girls Ariel Roxanne and Alaynah Marianne North were sitting in their car seats and died after being left in the back seat of their father’s SUV August 4. The incident occurred outside an apartment in Carrollton, Georgia.
Neighbors said they saw the father, 24-year-old Asa North, carrying his daughters in his arms running away from the vehicle. Police said they were called to the complex at around 6:30 p.m. and saw some bystanders attempting to cool the babies down with ice packs. They were later pronounced dead at a hospital.
North was allegedly inebriated after drinking with his cousin when he left the girls in his SUV. He has been charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter and reckless conduct.
The twins’ mother, Breal Ellis told WSB-TV she had been struggling to pay for the funeral. To help, she asked the public for funds and a GoFundMe was set up.
“I was with them every day and the one day I left…I just want to tell them I’m sorry,” she told the news station. “They didn’t deserve to die like that or to die, period, but I know they’re in heaven.”
Perry is no stranger to philanthropy. The director-producer donated $100,000 to a struggling Ohio school district in 2013. His Tyler Perry Foundation – established in 2011 – is focused on “empowering economically disadvantaged youth, seniors, and families to overcome adversity by achieving a better quality of life,” according to the website.
