Services set for Durham girl killed in fire

Destiny Ledwell, a rising seventh-grader at Shepard Middle School, died early Sunday in her home in the 2400 block of Nebo Street.

Her funeral is scheduled for 1 p.m. Saturday at Community Baptist Church at 4821 Barbee Road in Durham.

Ledwell's brother, Chris Ledwell, said he smelled smoke around 7:15 a.m. that day and tried to get everyone out of the house.

His sister's door was locked, and her body was found by a window in her room.

Investigators haven't determined the cause of the blaze but believe it might have started in a bedroom.

The family, which spans three generations, is being provided emotional and financial assistance, as well as temporary housing.

Donations to the family can be made via check to the Emergency Chaplains 10-33 Fund, P.O. Box 14762, Durham, N.C. 27709.

They can also be made online at www.echap.org.

Family members said Destiny Ledwell was a quiet girl who dreamed of being a doctor.

"She was just a child, and that's what makes it more difficult," her grandfather, Bobby Ledwell, said Monday. "She had not even begun to really live her life."